‘Multiple Pedestrians’ Hit by Car at Manhattan Protest, Driver Being Questioned

Several people were struck by a vehicle during a protest in Manhattan on Friday afternoon, authorities said. The NYPD said the incident happened at the intersection of East 39th Street and 3rd Avenue just after 4:00 p.m. when a vehicle collided with “multiple pedestrians.” Six people were hit and the suspected driver was being questioned, the NYPD said. Other reports said the driver was taken into custody.

“At this time, all those hit seemed to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries,” an NYPD spokesperson told The Daily Beast. According to social media posts, about 40 to 50 protesters were staging a demonstration in solidarity with ICE detainees in Bergen County Jail who were on a hunger strike. In a tweet, the NYPD asked drivers and pedestrians to avoid the area due to road closures.

Citing two law enforcement sources, NBC New York said the protesters had surrounded the female driver’s car and began to pound on it before she started to drive forward, possibly in an attempt to flee, and hit the protesters. She reportedly had a woman in her passenger seat.