Man who claimed Google tried to 'harm and torture’ him crashes car into building near company’s NYC office
Three pedestrians were injured in NYC crash
Three people sustained injuries Tuesday after a man who claimed Google was trying to "harass, harm and torture" him crashed his vehicle into a building close to the tech giant's New York City headquarters, police said.
A spokesperson for the NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information’s office told FOX Business that police took the alleged driver, identified as local Jason Bitton, 34, into custody after getting called to the incident at 15th St. and 10th Ave., an intersection in the Chelsea neighborhood that is located a short walk from where Google has one of its offices. A 12-year-old girl and two women, ages 47 and 50, were injured, according to the NYPD.
A man crashed into a building near Google's headquarters in Manhattan, New York on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (FNTV)
The car, a Ford Fusion, struck them after it entered the sidewalk, the NYPD spokesperson said. It then collided with a building.
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The New York Post reported that Bitton, the alleged driver, sued Google about four years ago, filing the complaint in the Kings County Supreme Court in 2019.
A man crashed into a building near Google's headquarters in Manhattan, New York on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (FNTV)
A man crashed into a building near Google's headquarters in Manhattan, New York, on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (FNTV)
That lawsuit sought billions of dollars in damages from Google. It alleged that extreme "flashing" on his Android products "caused personal injury" like migraines, vision loss and photophobia, and claimed that Google was trying to "harass, harm and torture" him, according to the complaint.
Google did not respond to FOX Business' multiple requests for comment.
Alphabet Inc
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In connection with the crash, the man faces nine total counts, including three for attempted assault and for attempted reckless endangerment, according to the NYPD spokesperson. The other three are for alleged reckless driving.
A man crashed into a building near Google's headquarters in Manhattan, New York, on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (FNTV)
The two women and the girl who were struck received transportation to a hospital in stable condition on Tuesday evening, the spokesperson told FOX Business.