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Officials got an initial call about the crash on Liberty Street and Broadway, near Zucotti Park, shortly before 1.30pm today.

Video posted on the internet showed a black vehicle almost entirely on the sidewalk, the front of it completely smashed. Investigators crowded the area around the car as ambulances pulled up to the scene.

There was no immediate word on a possible cause of the crash, nor was it clear how badly any of the victims may have been hurt.

New York authorities said the driver of the vehicle had been detained.