
The crazed driver accused of plowing down pedestrians in New York's Times Square told police he laced his marijuana with the hallucinogenic drug PCP to create the 'zombie drug' Spice.

Richard Rojas, a 26-year-old from the Bronx, was charged with murder after killing 18-year-old Alyssa Elsman and injuring 22 others when he sped down one of the busiest sidewalks in the US in his car for three blocks on Thursday.

He was arraigned in a Manhattan court on Friday where he was held without bail and did not enter a plea.

According to the criminal complaint, Rojas told police after his arrest: 'I smoked marijuana. I laced the marijuana with PCP.'

It comes as it's revealed Rojas had a troubled history - including time served in a military prison - that descended into paranoia and harassment in the weeks leading up to the deadly crash.

Rojas, who was taken to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation after his arrest, gave a number of excuses for the rampage when he was questioned by police - including that he was 'hearing voices'.

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Richard Rojas, 26, was arraigned in a Manhattan court on Friday - a day after he was charged with killing an 18-year-old Michigan girl and injuring 22 others in a driving rampage in Times Square

Richard Rojas, a 26-year-old from the Bronx, was charged with murder after killing 18-year-old Alyssa Elsman and injuring 22 others when he sped through Times Square on Thursday

He also told investigators that he had wanted to provoke police into killing him after mowing down the pedestrians and that God had made him carry out the attack.

'You were supposed to shoot me. I wanted to kill them,' he allegedly told police.

Law enforcement sources initially said they believe he smoked synthetic marijuana, also known as K2, or the 'zombie drug' Spice, beforehand.

While police are still investigating Rojas' motives, the picture that quickly emerged of him from neighbors and authorities was of a man with many problems.

He has been arrested a number of times in recent years, spent time in a military prison and was eventually discharged from the US Navy following disciplinary problems.

Friends have said he was never the same after leaving the Navy. They say his paranoia took over as he started drinking heavily and smoking marijuana and that he often spoke about 'conspiracies, demons and devils'.

A week ago, Rojas was arrested and charged after pulling a knife on a notary and asking him: 'Do you feel safe?'. He thought the man was trying to steal his identity, according to an arrest report obtained by Dailymail.com.

Rojas pleaded guilty to a harassment violation and was allowed to walk free after striking up a deal with the Bronx District Attorney's Office.

In previous arrests, Rojas told authorities he believed he was being harassed and followed, according to a law enforcement officials.

This is the harrowing moment Rojas mercilessly plowed through pedestrians in Times Square on Thursday before telling police when he was arrested that he wanted to kill them 'all' and then be shot dead himself

Rojas has been arrested a number of times in recent years (pictured left in a 2012 mugshot), spent time in a military prison and was eventually discharged from the US Navy following disciplinary problems

Rojas, pictured in court on Friday, was charged with one count of murder, 20 counts of attempted murder and five of aggravated vehicular homicide late on Thursday night

Rojas, pictured following his arrest on Thursday, was charged with one count of murder, 20 counts of attempted murder and five of aggravated vehicular homicide

Rojas was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated in 2008 and 2015 in Queens and Manhattan, and in 2016 for menacing in different areas of New York.

He had his license suspended for 90 days for both drunk driving incidents, but after the 2015 episode he was ordered to complete a drunk-driving prevention program.

A neighborhood friend in the Bronx, Harrison Ramos, told the Associated Press that Rojas wasn't the same when he came back from the Navy in 2014.

'He's been going through a real tough time,' he said.

Rojas enlisted in 2011 and spent four months stationed at Illinois. He was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida where he reached the rank of an electrician's mate fireman apprentice. In 2012 he served aboard the U.S.S. Carney, a destroyer.

That same year he was arrested outside the Naval base for attacking a taxi driver. His arrest report indicated that he had been drinking and that he had threatened 'to kill all police and military police he might see after he is released from jail.'

Navy records show that in 2013 he spent two months at a naval brig in Charleston, South Carolina but they don't specify why.

Rojas spent his final months in the Navy at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, before being discharged in 2014 as the result of a special court martial, a Navy official said.

Details were not immediately available but a friend told the New York Times that Rojas had been dishonorably discharged.

Following his exit from the Navy, Rojas moved back to the Bronx apartment he shared with his mother.

Friends of Rojas had said he appeared in high spirits on Wednesday night and gave no indication of what he was planning before he got behind the wheel of his car and headed to Times Square.

The 18-year-old woman killed by the car was identified as Alyssa Elsman - a tourist from Portage, Michigan who was visiting the city with her family

A bystander captured the moment the speeding car crashed into a pole, causing it to flying off the ground

Planet Hollywood bouncer Ken Bradix (pictured wearing a black t-shirt and hat) was the first to stop the US Navy veteran. He tackled Rojas to the ground before NYPD officers got to him

Rojas was arrested at the scene moments later by NYPD officers. He was later taken to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation

After he drove through crowds at the popular tourist destination and crashed into steel security barriers, he emerged from the wreck running, yelling and jumping before police and bystanders could subdue him in chaotic scenes.

'He began screaming, no particular words but just utter screaming. He was swinging his arms at the same time, said Ken Bradix, a bouncer at a nearby Planet Hollywood restaurant who tackled Rojas.

Footage captured Rojas getting into a fistfight with an officer as they struggled to arrest him, before he was eventually bundled into a squad car.

Thursday's mayhem began at noon on a hot, clear day that brought large crowds of people into the streets to enjoy the good weather.

Harrowing video footage captured Rojas plowing into pedestrians at ferocious speed in Times Square. The 50-second clip captures the driver hurtling down the sidewalk before crashing into a pole.

Moments earlier, he had fatally struck an 18-year-old woman identified as Alyssa Elsman. She was a tourist from Portage, Michigan who was visiting the city with her family. Elsman graduated last year from Portage Central High School.

She was walking around Times Square with her 13-year-old sister who was also struck but survived.

Rojas was charged with one count of murder, 20 counts of attempted murder and five of aggravated vehicular homicide late on Thursday night.

A woman, believed to be dead, was seen lying on the sidewalk with her face covered with a sheet. Other victims could be seen sprawled out across the pavement