Editor's note: This is a breaking news situation. More details will be added below as more information is confirmed.
A man in a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists along a busy bike path near the World Trade Center memorial Tuesday, killing at least eight and seriously injuring 11 in what the mayor called "a particularly cowardly act of terror."
This was a cowardly act of terror. It was intended to break our spirit. But New Yorkers are resilient. We will be undeterred.
— Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) October 31, 2017
Law enforcement officials have identified the suspect as 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov, originally of Uzbekistan. He was shot in the abdomen by police after jumping out of the truck with what turned out to be a fake gun in each hand and shouting what witnesses said was "Allahu Akbar!," Arabic for "God is great," authorities said. He underwent surgery and was expected to survive.
The New York Police Department posted on its Twitter feed that one person was in custody. The department said it was unclear whether anyone was shot or whether the injured were all struck by the vehicle.
The vehicle struck multiple people on the path. There are several fatalities and numerous people injured.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 31, 2017
The driver barreled along the bike path in a rented Home Depot truck for the equivalent of about 14 blocks, or around eight-tenths of a mile, before turning back onto the street and slamming into a small yellow school bus. The mayhem and the burst of police gunfire set off panic in the neighborhood and left the pavement strewn with mangled bicycles and bodies that were soon covered with sheets.
A man who was riding in an Uber along the West Side Highway near Chambers Street said he saw several bleeding people on the ground after a truck struck several people. Another witness said the truck had also collided with another vehicle.
WNYC spoke to families at both P.S. 234 and P.S. 89, who said students had been instructed to shelter in place. That lock down was lifted three hours later in the case of P.S. 234. Several other schools are in that area, including Stuyvesant High School and the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Tom Gay, a school photographer at another undisclosed school, was on Warren Street and heard people saying there was an accident. He went down to West Street and a woman came around the corner shouting, "He has a gun! He has a gun!"
Gay said he stuck his head around the corner and saw a slender man in a blue track suit running southbound on West Street holding a gun. He said there was a heavyset man pursuing him.
He said he heard five or six shots and the man in the tracksuit fell to the ground, gun still raised in the air. He said a man came over and kicked the gun out of his hand.
Chancellor Carmen Fariña, of the City's Department of Education, released the following statement:
"Today there was an act of terror in close proximity to several schools in lower Manhattan. We stand with the entire city as we mourn this senseless loss of life. We are grateful to the first responders and school staff who work tirelessly to help keep our schools and communities safe. Ongoing guidance and trauma counselors will be provided across schools to those in need tomorrow."
Uber driver Chen Yi said he saw a truck plow into people on a popular bike path adjacent to the West Side Highway. He said he then heard seven to eight shots and then police pointing a gun at a man kneeling on the pavement.
"I saw a lot of blood over there. A lot of people on the ground," Yi said.
His passenger, Dmitry Metlitsky, said he also saw police standing near a man who was on his knees with his hands up, and another man bleeding on the ground nearby.
Simranjeet Kalra, a Student at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, witnessed the attack and took video from the pedestrian bridge over West St.
Police closed off streets across the western edge of lower Manhattan along the Hudson River, and officers rushed into the neighborhood just as people were preparing for Halloween festivities, including the big annual parade through Greenwich Village.
"This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives who had no idea what was about to hit them," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
New York and other cities around the globe have been on high alert against attacks by extremists in vehicles. The Islamic State has been exhorting its followers to mow down people, and England, France and Germany have all seen deadly vehicle attacks in the past year or so.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called it a "lone wolf" attack and said there was no evidence to suggest it was part of a wider plot.
New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill said a statement the driver made as he got out of the truck and the method of attack led police to conclude it was a terrorist act.
On Twitter, President Donald Trump called it "another attack by a very sick and deranged person" and declared, "NOT IN THE U.S.A."
In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
While police did not specifically blame the Islamic State for the New York bloodshed, Trump railed against the extremist group, tweeting, "We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!"
Police said the vehicle entered the bike path at about 3 p.m. on West Street a few blocks from the new World Trade Center, the site of the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history. The truck then turned at Chambers Street, hitting the school bus and injuring two adults and two children.
A paintball gun and a pellet gun were found at the scene, police said. At least two covered-over bodies could be seen lying on the bike path, and the front end of the pickup was smashed in, as was the side of the school bus.
Anyone who needs extra support in the wake of this tragedy can call #NYCWell to speak with a trained counselor at any time of day or night. pic.twitter.com/OGQf6v3MgS
— Chirlane McCray (@NYCFirstLady) November 1, 2017