Police and witnesses say a motorist drove onto a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center memorial and struck several people, then emerged from the vehicle screaming and firing something that appeared to be a gun.
An Associated Press photographer on the scene Tuesday witnessed at least two bodies lying motionless on the path beneath tarps.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) posted on its Twitter feed that one person was in custody.
In a series of tweets, NYPD said that a vehicle entered the West Street pedestrian/bike path a few streets north of Chambers Street. The vehicle struck multiple people on the path, leading to a number of fatalities and injuries. The vehicle - confirmed by Home Depot then struck another vehicle, with the suspected driver then exiting the vehicle displaying "imitation firearms" and was shot by NYPD in the leg and then taken into custody.
A man who was riding in an Uber along the West Side Highway near Chambers street says he saw several bleeding people on the ground after a truck struck several people.
A witness said the truck had also collided with a small bus and one other vehicle. Four people were removed from the bus with minor injuries.
The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force has taken over the investigation with the incident being treated as a "deliberate act" and a possible terrorism incident.
Associated Press contributed to this report
