Penn Station Crash: Driver Hits 3 Pedestrians During Friday Rush Hour After Floor Mat Sticks To Gas Pedal

MANHATTAN, NY — A major transportation artery in New York City was thrown into chaos during the evening rush hour when a van driver hit three pedestrians near Penn Station Friday evening, authorities said.

The three victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, an NYPD spokeswoman told Patch. The driver, a 68-year-old man, remained on the scene and was being questioned by authorities, police said.

The driver, who was not intoxicated, told police that the van's floor mat got stuck to the gas pedal causing the truck to accelerate through the intersection of Seventh Avenue and West 31st Street, Patrol Officer Matthew Hyland said during a press briefing.

Video reviewed by investigators showed the red van come to a stop before lurching through the intersection, Hyland told reporters.

Seventh Avenue was blocked off between 31st Street and 30th Street, where the red 2002 Ford van remained in the middle of the road. Hundreds of onlookers stood outside Madison Square Garden, watching the emergency response.

"Here's the main entrance where everyone goes to the Long island Railroad, so there was a wall [of people]," crash witness Bobby Brown told Patch, referring to the entrance on Seventh Avenue and 31st Street. "So he goes right through the light, did not stop, went full speed."

Brown added, "As soon as he got down to the next red light there was a police car there, so he couldn't get through there. So he was swerving to get around the other cars."

Military personnel were spotted on site and helicopters circled overhead.

"I didn't see them get hit, but I heard 'boom boom' and saw people running over," Bangly Wageh told Patch. "The first person hit wasn't moving. The other two, I saw them moving their hands and arms. I hope they're OK."

Penn Station is decades old and services six subway lines, along with Long Island Railroad and New Jersey Transit trains. The hub is already congested with passengers, especially at peak travel times, and Friday's incident only made things worse.

Frantic onlookers took to social media in the chaotic aftermath of the wreck:

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Photo by Brendan Krisel, Patch Staff