A car struck at least seven people in a Manhattan crosswalk, leaving a gruesome and bloody scene behind as the hit-and-run driver took off before getting caught at the scene of another crash in Queens, police said.
The crash occurred late Sunday night at West 36th Street and Sixth Avenue in midtown, according to police. The driver, identified as 29-year-old Imani Lucas, was heading east on 36th Street in a Honda Accord and was turning onto Sixth Avenue when she plowed into seven people in the crosswalk, police said.
One of the victims suffered critical injuries in the chaos just north of Herald Square and was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, police said. Five others were also taken to area hospitals, though their conditions were not immediately clear. The victims ranged in age from their early 20s to early 60s. One person refused medical treatment, according to authorities.
Video showed paramedics tending to some of the victims on the street, treating significant injuries as clothing items were scattered across the ground.
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The woman behind the wheel of the Honda continued driving after the crash, according to police, making it all the way to Queens before officers caught up with her on the Long Island Expressway. That's where she was involved in another crash, police said, this time with two other vehicles near Fresh Meadows. She was arrested at Horace Harding Expressway and 188th Street, according to police.
Lucas was taken into custody at the scene of the second crash, with charges pending. No one was injured in the Queens incident and police said damage to the cars was minimal.
Police sources told NBC New York that Lucas may be struggling with mental health issues, as they said she told officers that "it's in God's hands" when she was placed under arrest. She tested negative for alcohol and was taken for a psychiatric evaluation.
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Traffic was closed off for hours in the area near the scene in midtown. An investigation is ongoing.
