At least 8 hurt in 3-car Midtown crash

A three-car crash near Manhattan's Bryant Park left at least eight people hospitalized Saturday night, the NYPD said.

The crash, which happened about 9 p.m. near the intersection of 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, was started by a Jaguar that rear-ended a Chevy Impala, struck an eastbound taxi traveling in the opposite direction and then flipped over and ended up on a sidewalk, an NYPD spokesman said.

The smashup injured four or five pedestrians and sent at least four passengers in the cars to hospitals, the NYPD spokesman said.

Injuries included head and neck trauma and body pain, he said.

As police investigated the crash late Saturday, many streets in the surrounding area were closed.

With Karen Bailis