On Tuesday afternoon, an unidentified man in a rented Home Depot truck drove 20 blocks down a bike path that traced the Hudson River in Lower Manhattan. The New York Times reports that 8 people were killed and at least 15 people were injured.
Authorities said that the driver jumped out of the truck, which he crashed into a school bus, holding fake weapons. NYPD officers shot the 29-year-old suspect in the abdomen; he was taken into custody and later to a hospital for treatment. According to CNN, the suspect is in surgery and is expected to survive. He also had a Florida ID and reportedly rented the truck in New Jersey.
At a press conference, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio described the incident as a terrorist attack. “This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror, aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives who had no idea what was about to hit them,” he said.
The NYPD has not named any other suspects at this time:
Here’s an eyewitness account, provided by New York Magazine’s Madison Mills:
The attack ended about five blocks from the World Trade Center memorial:
True to New York’s resilient identity, Manhattan’s Halloween Parade will continue as planned:
Update, 7:09 PM: NBC News, ABC News, and CBS News have reported that the suspect’s name is Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov. ABC News reports Saipov is from Tampa, FL.
Update, 8:13 PM: Police have identified the attacker as Sayfullo Saipov. Citing two law enforcement officials, The Times reported that “handwritten notes in Arabic” were found near the crashed truck that allegedly declared Saipov’s allegiance to ISIS. Saipov emigrated from Uzbekistan to Tampa, FL, in 2010. He has also apparently lived in Paterson, NJ.
This post will be updated as more information becomes available.