Somehow nobody was killed.
As police chased a suspected stolen Hyundai through Manhattan at rush hour the unthinkable happened as the vehicle veered onto the sidewalk, mowing down pedestrians. According to multiple reports, the victims on the packed sidewalk ranged from 6 to 72. Somehow not only did they all survive, none suffered from life-threatening injuries.
Watch kids crash a stolen Hyundai into a house here.
The Hyundai Tucson with Illinois plates caught the eye of police thanks to a plate scanner. Police also are quite aware of how easily and commonly Hyundais and Kias are stolen. It just so happened that the crossover had been reported stolen in the Bronx just last month. This is why if your car is stolen it’s critical you report it to police as soon as possible.
According to police, during the chase a cyclist and a taxi were hit by the stolen Hyundai. What finally brought the chase to a close was the crossover slamming nose-to-nose with a Toyota. As you can see in footage from an ABC7NY report, both vehicles sustained a fair amount of front-end damage but not enough to seriously injure anyone inside.
A video uploaded to Twitter shows other pedestrians tackle the fleeing driver, pinning him to the sidewalk until police arrived. Hats off to those guys for stepping up and doing the right thing. Unfortunately, a female passenger who was in the Hyundai got away but authorities are on the hunt for her as well.
The 20-year-old male driver reportedly didn’t have a license. We don’t know if he was entirely sure the Hyundai was stolen. Sometimes thieves will sell boosted vehicles for unbelievably low prices, with most people who buy them understanding what they’re getting most likely isn’t legit. This could be that kind of situation, the driver could be the original car thief, or any number of other scenarios are possible.