There was “no indication of terrorism” in a violent U-Haul truck rampage on Monday morning that left eight people hurt, including an NYPD officer. Two of the injured were listed in critical condition and two others are in serious condition.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a statement later in the day, however, that it does not appear the 62-year-old driver — who was arrested shortly after the incident — was a terrorist.
“At this time, we have no indication that there is any terrorism involvement in this incident,” she said, adding that all of the victims were struck before NYPD officers began their pursuit of the truck.
Police arrested the driver — who fled — after he rammed into multiple victims in at least three different locations in Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood.
BROOKLYN: First photo showing the suspect, ID'd as a 62-year-old man, being taken into custody. He is known to police for only one prior incident in 2019 where he was reported to be emotionally disturbed. pic.twitter.com/d4no8mPjf0
— KolHaolam (@KolHaolam) February 13, 2023
The suspect allegedly was known to police for a prior incident in 2019 during which he was reported to be emotionally disturbed.
BROOKLYN: WILD VIDEO: Surveillance footage shows moment of the attack in Brooklyn. The U-Haul truck can be seen striking a moped driver while one pedestrian manages to jump out of the way. https://t.co/B11j8q8S2E pic.twitter.com/i7hZtZZnF7
— KolHaolam (@KolHaolam) February 13, 2023
The NYPD bomb squad also arrived on the scene to ensure there were no explosives in the vehicle.
The incident took place at the corner of Columbia Street and Hamilton Avenue.
BREAKING: NYPD Bomb Squad is on scene investigating a U-Haul truck responsible for a hit and run in Bay Ridge. The unidentified male driver fled northbound after striking and critically injuring one cyclist in the 68pct. The U-Haul was recovered in Red Hook w driver in custody. pic.twitter.com/UOY0oSLOr5
— Joe Marino (@joemarino_) February 13, 2023
“This wasn’t an accident,” New York City Councilmember Justin Brannan wrote in a tweet — but it remains unclear whether in fact the incident took place as the result of a “mental illness” situation.
The truck was stopped in the Sunset Park neighborhood near the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, on a corner between Red Hook and Carroll Gardens.
8 Dead in NYC Truck Terror Rampage: ‘This Was An Act of Terror’
The death penalty phase begins this week in the trial of Sayfullo Saipov, a radical Islamic terrorist who carried out a vicious ramming attack in November 2017, also carried out with a truck.
At least eight people were killed and 12 others were injured, including one police officer. In the attack, the terrorist drove a white Home Depot rental truck on to a bike path traveling south along the West Side Highway near Houston Street heading towards Chambers Street in Manhattan
There was no information on whether the two events were related.
