Fatal attack in Lower Manhattan is being treated as an act of terror

A man driving a rented Home Depot pickup truck killed eight people and injured 11 others in an attack on a bike path near the Hudson River on Tuesday afternoon.

The attack is being treated as an act of terrorism.

In a press conference following the events, NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said that the driver entered the bike path at Houston Street and drove south before exiting at Chambers Street where he collided with a school bus. He proceeded to exit the truck brandishing two imitation firearms, which were later identified by officials as a paintball gun and a pellet gun.

Six people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were pronounced dead at the hospital.

“We ask all New Yorkers to live by the idea ‘if you see something, say something,’” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in the press conference. “Tell an officer immediately if you see anything unusual; anything that worries you.”

Officials confirmed that the Village Halloween Parade will go on as scheduled, which is located blocks away from where the attack took place.

“People should go about their business knowing that NYPD is out in force,” De Blasio said. “We are going to go about our business in this city and we are not going to be deterred.”