A New York Police Department officer on a routine call has emerged as a hero after being credited with stopping what authorities have called New York City's deadliest terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.
At about 3:05 p.m., a driver identified by the police as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov mounted a curb in a rented pickup truck and sped down several blocks of a popular bike path on Manhattan's west side, killing eight people and wounding at least 11 others.
After the truck crashed into a school bus, Saipov exited the truck with two imitation firearms and was heard shouting "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great."
Ryan Nash, an NYPD officer who was out on an unrelated routine call trying to locate an emotionally disturbed person, then spotted the unfolding chaos, according to the New York Post.
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Nash "confronted the subject and shot him in the abdomen," Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill said during a press conference following the attack. Saipov was then taken to a hospital.
"I want to commend the response of our NYPD officer that was on post near the location who stopped the carnage moments after it began," O'Neill said.
Nash, a 28-year-old resident of Medford, Long Island, was treated for ringing in his ears at Bellevue Hospital following the episode, according to the Post. He joined the NYPD in 2012, according to CNN.
"Our hats off 2 Officer Ryan Nash & @NYPD1Pct who were 1st on scene, didnt waiver, apprehended the suspct, & saved lives. God bless the #NYPD," Councilman Joe Borelli tweeted.