This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A man charged with slamming his speeding car into pedestrians on the sidewalks of Times Square, killing a teenage tourist and injuring nearly two dozen people, said he wanted to “kill them all” and police should have shot him to stop him, a prosecutor revealed Friday.

Richard Rojas, 26, also told responding officers Thursday after he crashed his Honda Accord into protective barriers that he had smoked marijuana laced with PCP, according to a criminal complaint. Officials are awaiting toxicology results, though a police official said Rojas “had glassy eyes, slurred speech, and was unsteady,” during his arrest, the complaint said.

Rojas, wearing the same red T-shirt and jeans he was photographed in the day earlier, appeared subdued during a brief court appearance where prosecutors detailed a felony murder charge.

He didn’t enter a plea. Rojas’ lawyer and weeping supporters had no comment. He’s due back in court next week.



Rojas drove his car from the Bronx to Times Square, where he sped into the bustling Crossroads of the World, hitting nearly two dozen people on the sidewalk before steel security barriers finally stopped him, authorities said.

Eighteen-year-old tourist Alyssa Elsman, of Portage, Michigan, was killed in the crash. Her 13-year-old sister was among the 22 injured.

Three people are in critical condition with serious head injuries, and a fourth person is being treated for a collapsed lung and broken pelvis, according to the complaint.



Rojas enlisted in the Navy in 2011 and was an electrician’s mate fireman apprentice. In 2012, he served aboard the USS Carney, a destroyer.

Navy records show that in 2013 he spent two months at a naval prison in Charleston, South Carolina. They don’t indicate 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.

After his arrest on Thursday, he told police he was “hearing voices” and expected to die, two law enforcement officials said.

After the wreck he emerged from his vehicle running, yelling and jumping before being subdued by police and bystanders in a chaotic scene.

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

Rojas’s motivation was unclear, but Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said there was “no indication that this was an act of terrorism”.

The picture that quickly emerged of Rojas from neighbors and authorities was of a man with problems. A week ago he was arrested and charged with pointing a knife at a notary, whom he accused of stealing his identity. He pleaded guilty to a harassment violation. In previous arrests, he told authorities he believed he was being harassed and followed, one of the law enforcement officials said.

Rojas was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated in 2008 and 2015, police commissioner James O’Neill said, losing his license for 90 days.

A neighborhood friend in the Bronx, Harrison Ramos, said 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 was an electrician’s mate fireman apprentice. In 2012 he served aboard the USS Carney, a destroyer. Navy records show that in 2013 he spent two months at a naval brig in Charleston, South Carolina. They don’t indicate why.

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

Play Video 1:13 Times Square crash: footage shows immediate aftermath – video report

“People just got stunned,” said Bruno Carvalho, a student at SUNY Albany. “I don’t think there was actually time for screaming.”

Alyssa Elsman, the woman killed by the car, graduated last year from Portage Central high school in Michigan. “If you didn’t know her, you might think she’s reserved or shy,” school principal Eric Alburtus said. “But if you could talk to her for a minute, you’d realize she was engaging. She was bright. She was funny.”