2017 Times Square car attack | |
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Location | Times Square, New York City, U.S. |
Coordinates | 40°45′29″N 73°59′08″W / 40.757994°N 73.985574°W |
Date | May 18, 2017 11:53 EDT |
Target | Pedestrians |
Attack type | Vehicle-ramming attack, attempted mass murder |
Weapons | Honda Accord (North America eighth generation) |
Deaths | 1 (Alyssa Elsman) |
Injured | 20[1] |
Accused | Richard Rojas |
On May 18, 2017, a car was crashed in Times Square, New York City, United States. One person was killed and 20 were injured. Navy veteran Richard Rojas was charged with one count of second degree murder, 18 attempted murders and 38 assaults, for which he was found not responsible because of insanity.
After being detained, Rojas was found to have ingested phencyclidine before the crash. When interviewed by the NYPD, Rojas said he wanted to die in a "suicide by cop", and that he had been hearing voices. In a jailhouse news interview three days later, he said he did not remember the incident or any statements he made afterward.
A year later, multiple liability lawsuits were filed between Rojas, victims, and the city.