Dunellen students among injured in Times Square

Two Dunellen High School seniors were among those injured in Thursday’s fatal Times Square crash in which a motorist plowed through a crowd of pedestrians, killing one and injuring 20, according to Dunellen Schools Superintendent Gene Mosley.

Mosley said the injured female students were rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where they received immediate medical attention for their injuries and remain hospitalized. Mosley declined to identify the injured students.

“Both girls — accompanied by family members — remain in the hospital under doctor’s care,” Mosley said. “These girls are in the thoughts and prayers of everyone in the Dunellen educational community as well as the community at large. We wish them Godspeed for a complete recovery.”

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Mosley said Dunellen High School Principal Paul Lynch addressed the faculty before school Friday morning to apprise them of the situation, which he called a “horrific tragedy.” Shortly thereafter, Lynch held a schoolwide assembly to update the student body and dispel rumors about the incident that were circulating on social media, Mosley said.

Mosley said grief counselors were made available throughout the day for students who needed them. Mosley said the students were in New York City on their own time, not as part of any school-sponsored activity or event.

According to a press release from the New York City Police Department, 26-year-old Richard Rojas, the driver of a 2009 Honda that mounted the sidewalk just before noon on the west side of 7th Avenue at West 42nd Street, drove at a high rate of speed along the sidewalk to 45th Street, striking multiple pedestrians along the way. The vehicle eventually came to a stop on the northwest corner of West 45th Street when it struck a metal stanchion.

Rojas, a Bronx resident who had two prior arrests for DWI, was arrested and charged with murder and 20 counts of attempted murder, according to statements from the New York City Police Department.

Alyssa Elsman, an 18-year old woman from Portage, Michigan, was killed in the incident. According to the New York City Police Department, of the 20 injured pedestrians, 19 were hospitalized and one was treated at the scene. Of the 19 pedestrians treated, seven remain hospitalized, three in critical condition, including a 38-year-old Canadian woman whose condition was described as “very critical.”

Law-enforcement sources told CNN that Rojas tested positive for PCP and told police that God made him do it. The suspect, according to CNN, suffered from "psychological issues" and told police he expected officers to shoot him.

Toxicology results on Rojas are pending, according to the New York City Police Department.

Staff Writer Greg Tufaro: gtufaro@mycentraljersey.com