Two people were killed when a stolen out-of-control rental car vaulted onto a bustling Chinatown sidewalk Saturday morning, police said.
The driver and passenger of the blue Chevrolet Malibu — two women in their early 20s — were taken into custody after they tried to leave the area on foot following the 7:30 a.m. crash, police said.
A witness pointed them out to arriving police officers as they made their escape. Cops nabbed them about a block away from the scene, officials said.
The two women were taken to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries as they were being questioned.
Witnesses told police that the Malibu had exited the Manhattan Bridge at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control and careened onto the sidewalk, where it struck a 63-year-old woman and a man in his 30s riding a bicycle.
The sedan then struck an unoccupied NYPD van before coming to a stop, cops said.
Both the man and the woman died at the scene. Their names were not immediately disclosed.
The car, police sources said, had been stolen from a rental company in Staten Island.
Criminal charges on the driver and passenger were pending Saturday. The NYPD van the pair struck was completely mangled, officials said.
As of Thursday, 60 pedestrians had been killed by vehicles across the city this year — 10 fewer than the 70 who died by this time last year.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
