NY police say one dead, 12 injured in Times Square car accident

New York, United States:

One person is dead and 12 others were injured in a car crash in Times Square in New York City on Thursday, fire officials said.

The driver is in custody, according to a law enforcement source.

Law enforcement sources said the driver, who has two DWIs on his record, tried to flee before he was taken into custody. The driver is 26 years old, according to a city official, reports abcnews.go.com.

The FDNY said the collision took place at 45th Street and Broadway.

A witness told ABC station WABC that the driver got out of the car after the crash and ran across the street. The driver was then tackled by police officers, the witness said.

The witness told WABC the scene was total ‘chaos’ and ‘everybody was trying to help.’

The vehicle was on fire, the AFP photographer said. A maroon sedan vehicle lay partially upended on its side on the sidewalk with smoke and isolated flames spewing out of the hood, photographs on social media showed.

Times Square is typically packed with tourists and office workers. It lies in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and leads to Broadway, New York’s famed theater district.