A hit-and-run driver who rammed seven pedestrians in midtown Manhattan late Sunday night was pictured wearing a “Good Vibes” t-shirt as she entered court.
Imani Lucas, 29, has been charged with attempted murder after she allegedly prayed to God and closed her eyes as she drove her black Honda Accord through a red light at the crosswalk between West 36th Street and 6th Avenue at 11:55 p.m.
She was pictured handcuffed, flanked by three police officers, on Tuesday morning as she disheveledly entered a Manhattan courthouse, wearing a gray T-shirt with the slogan “Good Vibes.”
Her mother said she suffers from bipolar disorder and may have been experiencing a manic episode at the time of the accident.
Lucas, of Belle Mead, New Jersey, underwent a psychiatric evaluation before being charged with seven counts of attempted murder, seven counts of assault, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene with serious injuries, and reckless driving.
Imani Lucas, a hit-and-run driver who rammed seven pedestrians in midtown Manhattan Sunday night, was pictured wearing a “Good Vibes” t-shirt as he entered court
Lucas is facing charges of attempted murder after she reportedly prayed to God and closed her eyes when she crashed her black Honda Accord into seven pedestrians at a crosswalk between West 36th Street and 6th Avenue at 11:55 p.m
The New Jersey native was pictured handcuffed, flanked by three police officers, as she walked disheveled into a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday morning, wearing a gray T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Good Vibes.”
Cruel pictures after the crash show many of the victims – six men and a woman between the ages of 24 and 61 – lying on the ground, unconscious and covered in blood.
Lucas continued through the Midtown Tunnel for about 13 miles before she collided with two vehicles on the Long Island Expressway in Clearview, Queens.
Miraculously, all pedestrians and other motorists affected by their killing spree are expected to survive – although some suffered horrific injuries ranging from broken legs to spinal cord damage and required five-hour surgery.
Photos that surfaced immediately afterwards show the front of Lucas’ Honda completely crumpled from the impact of its latest accident – and new images released on Tuesday show it in transit just before.
CCTV images released Tuesday show Lucas speeding across the freeway and appearing to run a red light while another vehicle waits at a pedestrian crossing.
Shocking new photos show the aftermath of a bloody hit-and-run after a motorist hit seven pedestrians in New York late Sunday
Shocking new photos show the aftermath of a bloody hit-and-run after a motorist hit seven pedestrians in New York late Sunday
She reportedly said a prayer before running a red light at 11:55 p.m. and crashing into people at the crosswalk between West 36th Street and 6th Avenue. Pictured: her Honda Accord just before the accident
Gruesome images captured moments later show the grisly aftermath of what police believe was an attempted murder of seven innocent pedestrians.
Police said they were mostly New Yorkers, including one or two tourists – reportedly from Italy.
An alarmed employee at a nearby Taco Bell took action after seeing what happened.
He said each of the pedestrians seemed to react when they first stormed onto the street. Many were thrown between garbage bags near the sidewalk, photos show.
“I took water and tissues from them to clean everything. “It was a very dangerous accident,” the Taco Bell employee told Pix11 shortly after the accident.
Footage of the scene showed people stepping between their bodies while trying to check their vital signs, with a man calling emergency services.
The pedestrians — six men and one woman, ages 24 to 61 — were stranded across the street in Manhattan. Many were covered in blood and landed between garbage bags on the sidewalk (pictured)
Lucas’ black Honda Accord was badly damaged in the accident in Queens, about 13 miles from where she crashed into pedestrians
The NYPD has so far identified the victims as six men, ages 24, 27, 28, 30, 32 and 61, and a 34-year-old woman.
They were taken to area hospitals, with the exception of the 30-year-old man, who refused to go there, police said.
Her injuries range from “general pain complaints to broken legs.”
A date for Lucas’ court appearance has not yet been set as she continues to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Two of the pedestrians were named as Italian tourists Giulia Gardini, 34, and Matteo Maj, 51, by the Italian-English newspaper La Voce di New York.
Gardani, a tennis coach from Piacenza, just outside Milan, was in critical condition after suffering a cervical spine injury from the impact that required five hours of surgery.
According to the newspaper, who spoke to his sister Monica Maj, Maj, a graphic designer, had to undergo surgery for tibia and fibula surgery.