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New York crash witnesses describe 'gruesome' scene in Times Square

Witnesses have described horrific scenes in Times Square after a car crashed into pedestrians in the busy tourist spot.

Asa Lowe, from Brooklyn, heard screaming and turned to see the car hitting people on the pavement.

He said the driver was "just mowing down people. He didn't stop."

When the car crashed into a barricade, Mr Lowe saw the driver get out and start running until he was tackled.

He said he saw injured people, including a woman who "had tracks all over her body".

An unnamed woman said she was leaving Times Square after taking photographs, and as she and her companions were walking away she heard the crash. She turned and saw people running away.

:: One dead and several injured after car hits pedestrians in Times Square

She said: "It was chaos....there were people lying on the ground, including a Gray Line Bus ticket seller, who was injured, but then we were shooed away (by police).

Josh Duboff, who works nearby and jumped out of the way to avoid being hit, said: "People were being hit and rolling off the car."

Cheryl Howard and her daughter were out shopping when the car sped down the sidewalk. "I'm so freaked out," the daughter said. "They mowed everyone down."

Juan Soto, who is on a business trip to New York from his home in Chicago, told Sky News: "I came upon the scene - a gruesome scene with multiple victims on the sidewalk and the street.

"It's really shocking for me to come across something like this… it really breaks my heart.

"We have great police presence by the NYPD - they were on the scene very quickly.

"I saw the head injuries and the blood and the victims not moving I realised… that a car had ran into the crowd just minutes before."

Student Bruno Carvalho said the car approached quickly and passed him on the sidewalk.

He said he saw about five people who looked gravely injured, "people, really bad, in front of us."

An unnamed man had also been taking pictures and was walking away when he heard the crash and turned around to see people running towards him.

The car ended up propped on top of a metal post.

The driver has been named by the NYPD as Richard Rojas, a 26-year-old US citizen and former member of the armed services with two previous arrests for drunk driving.

Police are investigating whether drugs or alcohol were involved.