Witnesses Describe Chaos on NY Bike Path

ABC NEWS (NY)–By Julia Jacobo — Andrew Howell was walking along the bike path near Chambers Street in lower Manhattan this afternoon when he saw a truck plow into two cyclists riding about 20 feet in front of him. The impact sent one of the victims straight up into the air, and the man was motionless when he landed back on the ground, Howell said.

The driver then continued at a high speed before crashing into a pole and fleeing on foot, Howell said.

The truck, a Home Depot rental, hit multiple people while traveling southbound on a bike path on the West Side Highway before it crashed into a school bus at Chambers and West Streets, near Stuyvesant High School, according to a man named Eugene, who witnessed the crash that killed at least seven and injured 15 more.

He described one of the victim’s bodies as “mangled” and said he was “traumatized” from what he saw.

The driver got out of the vehicle and opened fire, Eugene recounted, adding that he heard about nine or 10 gunshots and saw police officers ducking behind their cars. The suspect is in custody after he was shot by police, officials said.

When asked by reporters whether he believed the driver was deliberate in his actions, Eugene responded, “Yes, of course.”

“Everybody was running,” Eugene told ABC New York station WABC. “Everything was happening so fast.”

Another witness, Ramon Cruz, told WABC the driver looked “frustrated and confused” when he got out of the truck.

The crash is being investigated as a possible terrorist incident, a source confirmed to ABC News. Former NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly described the incident as “clearly intentional, clearly in an effort to kill people.”