by Vivian Chang, news editor
A fatal crash in Times Square left one dead, at least 22 others injured, and many in critical condition.
Richard Rojas, 26, jumped the curb in his 2009 Honda Accord and rammed into a mob of pedestrians last Thursday. Rojas, who is from the Bronx, served in the Navy for three years and allegedly came back “a different man”.
Rojas also suffers from psychological issues and claims that “God made him do it”. He had been arrested numerous times for offences, such as driving under the influence and threatening individuals.
“I wanted to kill them,” Rojas told a traffic officer after the crash.
Rojas appeared in the criminal court this past Friday and has been charged with 20 counts of attempted murder and one murder. The accident is not believed to be an act of terrorism.
“So many people, tourists and New York residents, visit Times Square everyday. I think that it’s embarrassing that this happened here. Now people are going to be hesitant when coming to visit,” senior Adriana Loh said.
According to the Times Square Alliance, Times Square received an average of almost 360,000 visitors in April.
Richard Rojas, 26, jumped the curb in his 2009 Honda Accord and rammed into a mob of pedestrians last Thursday. Rojas, who is from the Bronx, served in the Navy for three years and allegedly came back “a different man”. Photo attribution to The Guardian on Twitter.
A video of the fatal crash can be found here.
Featured image attribution to Guardian on Twitter.
