2 dead and 9 injured after truck strikes group celebrating July 4 in Manhattan park

Two people have been killed and nine others injured, four seriously, after a pickup truck struck a group celebrating the Fourth of July, New York City authorities said.

Two people were killed and nine others were injured, four seriously, when a pickup truck plowed into a group celebrating the Fourth of July holiday in New York City, authorities said.

A Ford F-150 came down a street “at a high rate of speed” shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday. The truck drove through an intersection and a stop sign, onto the sidewalk and into Corlears Hook Park on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, New York City Police Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said at a news conference.

According to Maddrey, there are two dead on the spot.

According to Michael Meyers, assistant chief of the New York City Fire Department, four people were in critical condition, three were seriously injured and two had minor injuries.

When firefighters first arrived on the scene, they found the pickup truck on top of four victims, and firefighters quickly tried to free them before emergency medical personnel could begin treatment, Meyers said.

Investigators do not believe the crash was an act of terrorism, Maddrey and New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference at the scene.

According to Maddrey, authorities tested the driver for possible alcohol use, which is believed to have played a role in the crash.

Police could not immediately determine the ages of the victims, Maddrey said.