Mrs Trump tweeted: “My heart breaks for #NYC today. Thoughts & prayers as we monitor the situation.”
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the vehicle attack that took place near the World Trade Center in downtown New York.
He tweeted: “In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!”
Eight people were struck and killed and at least 15 people were injured after a terrorist drove onto a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center memorial.
Eyewitnesses said that after the driver struck several people, he then emerged from the vehicle screaming and firing something that appeared to be a gun.
The 29-year-old terrorist drove the Home Depot rental van onto a pedestrian and cycle path alongside the West Side Highway at full speed, hitting several people.
The truck then hit a school bus, which was carrying two adults and two children.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene of a white pickup truck hitting bicyclists on a path near the World Trade Center and then slamming into a school bus.
They say the driver got out of his vehicle brandishing what appeared to be a gun in each hand.
An onlooker said he saw at least two bodies lying motionless on the path beneath tarps.
The New York Police Department posted on its Twitter feed that one person was in custody. The department says it’s unclear whether anyone was shot.
A man who was riding in an Uber along the West Side Highway near Chambers street said 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.
New York’s mayor Mayor Bill De Blasio described the attack as “cowardly” and said that “New Yorkers do not give in.” He also asked New Yorkers to “be vigilant.”
The NYPD said on Twitter that the suspect got out of the vehicle displaying imitation firearms and was shot by police officers. Police say the person is in custody.
De Blasio added that the attack “was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called it a “lone wolf” attack. He said there’s no evidence to suggest it was part of a wider plot.
He said: “There is no ongoing threat. No need for anxiety. But you will see more police officers.”
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president and New York native had been briefed by White House chief of staff John Kelly and “will be continually updated as more details are known.”
Ms Sanders says, “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.”