Three people died when a driver suspected of being under the influence crashed into a crowd celebrating the holiday in a New York City park on Thursday, authorities said.
A pickup truck “driving at a high rate of speed” passed through an intersection, mounted a sidewalk and struck a crowd at Corlears Hook Park in Manhattan around 8:55 p.m., police said.
In addition to the three people killed, seven others were injured, New York authorities said.
Two of the victims were in critical condition, three were in serious condition and three others were not seriously injured, authorities said.
The park, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side near the East River, was full of families “celebrating a beautiful Fourth of July evening,” New York Police Department Chief Jeff Maddrey said at a news conference.
Mayor Eric Adams said a tragedy occurred while families were barbecuing and enjoying the night.
“It appears at this time, based on the preliminary investigation, that the driver was under the influence of alcohol,” Adams said. “This is extremely early. We will conduct a full investigation.”
Maddrey said responding officers “smelled the odor of alcohol, but we are still running tests.”
When rescuers arrived at the park, “they found a pickup truck on top of four victims,” said Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations Michael Meyers.
People at the park “grabbed the driver, pulled him out and made sure he didn’t leave until first responders arrived on scene,” Maddrey said.
The driver was not identified at the press conference.
The driver was speeding east on Water Street in a Ford F-150, went through an intersection and “went through the stop sign, onto the sidewalk, into Corlears Hook Park and hit people who were enjoying the evening,” Maddrey said. .
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