New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said preliminary information revealed that Rojas had been arrested in the past and two of those arrests were due to driving while intoxicated. He told reporters at the scene that Rojas is a US citizen and a former member of the armed forces with the US Navy.
A man accused of mowing down a crowd of pedestrians with his auto in Times Square has made his first appearance in court charged with murder and attempted murder.
Officials are awaiting toxicology results, though Rojas "had glassy eyes, slurred speech, and was unsteady", during his arrest, the complaint said.
The New York Post reported that when the auto eventually crashed into a pole, the driver got out of the vehicle and tried to run away, according to witnesses.
Other witnesses said the vehicle drove against traffic and onto the pavement before striking the pedestrians at about midday local time.
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 harassment.
Navy records show Rojas enlisted in September 2011 and was based in IL and Florida, working as an electrician's mate fireman apprentice. In 2012 he served aboard the U.S.S.
Rojas, wearing the same red T-shirt and jeans he was photographed in the day earlier, appeared subdued Friday during a brief court appearance where prosecutors detailed murder and attempted murder charges. Details of the circumstances were not immediately available.
Navy records show he spent two months in a military prison in Charleston, South Carolina, in the summer of 2013, but did not say why. They don't indicate why.
"People just got stunned", said Bruno Carvalho, a student at SUNY Albany.
Police identified the woman killed by the vehicle as Alyssa Elsman, of Portage, Michigan. "She was bright. She was amusing". Rojas' lawyer, Enrico Demarco, had no comment. The deceased was an 18-year-old woman who was visiting the city, and her sister, 13, was also injured.White House press secretary Sean Spicer wrote on Twitter that President Donald Trump "has been made aware of the situation in Times Square and will continue to receive updates". He said that out of an "abundance of caution", security across key locations around the city will be stepped up and major sites in the city will get additional police coverage from the anti-terror units.
