One person has died and at least 12 others were injured after a speeding car hit multiple pedestrians in New York City's Times Square.

US officials have said that initial reports suggest that the incident was not terror-related.

The driver of the car has been arrested by police, with one bystander posting footage of the moment he was detained by officers.

Witnesses described scenes of panic after the red Honda sedan car mounted the pavement in the central New York tourist spot.

They described seeing one victim lying covered with a bloodstained blanket, while others were carried off in stretchers.

Shoes were also left scattered on the pavement where people havd been knocked down or fled.

Numerous people who were in the area sent panicked messages on Twitter asking for information.

Police quickly said that the collision was not thought to be a terror attack, with CBS news reporting the the driver is suspected to have been driving under the influence of drink or drugs.

It said the suspect was a 26-year-old man from the Bronx area of New York who has two prior convictions for driving while under the influence (DWI).

President Donald Trump has been made aware of the incident and is monitoring the situation, press secretary Sean Spicer said.