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Teen killed in Times Square crash is from Michigan

Posted at 3:48 PM, May 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-19 08:23:40-04

A man accused of steering his car onto one of the busiest sidewalks in the U.S. and mowing down pedestrians has been charged with murder and attempted murder.

The New York Police Department says 26-year-old Richard Rojas, of the Bronx, was charged late Thursday with second-degree murder, 20 counts of attempted murder and aggravated vehicular homicide.

Police say he drove his car for three blocks in Times Square, hitting nearly two dozen people before steel security barriers finally stopped him. An 18-year-old tourist, Alyssa Elsman, from Portage, Michigan was killed. Her 13-year-old sister was among the 22 injured, four of them critically.

It's unclear if Rojas has a lawyer for his arraignment Friday.

Officials say he had served in the U.S. Navy but was discharged following disciplinary problems.