A vehicle struck pedestrians on a sidewalk in New York City’s Times Square, what is a heavily trafficked area, on Thursday afternoon.
Preliminary reports indicate this was an accident and not terror related.
A senior city official tells NBC News that one person has died in the crash. The Fire Department of New York reported 13 patients being on the scene.
@FDNY: 13 total patients currently reported at scene of motor vehicle accident in Times Square
One witness has posted a photo of the scene to Twitter.
gb__ : What’s happening in Times Square?? This car was in the sidewalk and people are on the streets
A speeding car reportedly jumped a curb, and photos show the smoking vehicle on the sidewalk. This happened around lunch time, with tourists and employees filling the streets.
Multiple social media accounts were reporting seeing people being injured and carried away in stretchers.
Live traffic cameras showed an escalated emergency response in the area; at least five fire trucks blocked off the intersection immediately near the scene, and a line of police cars blocked off traffic near the TKTS booth.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer tweeted that the president had been made aware of the situation.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio arrived on the scene shortly after.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates to this post.
—NBC News and NBC New York contributed to this report.