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The car – a red Honda – struck several people and mounted the pavement.

Bodies could be seen laying on the side of the road as emergency crews rushed to the scene.

The driver – who has been identified as 26-year-old ex-navy officer Richard Rojas of New York – was "removed" by police after the incident.

The victim killed in the tragedy has since been identifed as Alyssa Elsman.

The 18-year-old from Portage, Michigan, was visiting with her family when the speeding car hit just before noon.

Horrific images on social media show people being taken away on stretchers and other casualties strewn across the walkway.

(Image: TWITTER)

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Another witness claimed to see several people being taken away from the crash site on a stretcher.

Pictures from the scene show Rojas – wearing jeans and brown t-shirt – running across a pedestrian crossing screaming.

One person in a red shirt is on the ground near the vehicle while a terrified woman walks with a little girl just metres from the driver.

(Image: FACEBOOK) (Image: REUTERS)

Annie Donahey tweeted: "A car just purposely sped onto the sidewalk in Times Square trying to hit people.

"The girl who was walking next to me died."

President Donald Trump was "made aware" of the drama.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio also rushed to the scene.

Times Square is a magnet for tourists and a hotspot for Brits travelling to the United States.

(Image: TWITTER)

Rojas was arrested in 2008 and 2015 for drunk driving – New York City officials have confirmed.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department said that the incident was not thought to be terror-related at this time, but added: “We don’t have details as of yet.

“It looks more like an out of control vehicle - a vehicle that lost control than anything else at this point.”

Asked if it was terror-related he said: “This is very preliminary. We don’t have any details yet but on the information that we’ve got so far it looks more like an out of control vehicle at this time.”

It comes just over a month after a car ploughed into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge in an ISIS-inspired terror attack.