U-Haul driver charged with murder blames 'invisible object' for rampage

The man driving the rented U-Haul that ran over multiple people in the streets of Brooklyn told police that an “invisible object” caused him to go on the rampage, law enforcement sources said. 

A U-Haul plowed into bicyclists, moped riders, and pedestrians in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bay Ride and Sunset Park on Monday at around 10:49 a.m., killing one individual and injuring eight others before pinning itself against a building. 

The driver, identified as 62-year-old Weng Sor, was detained by the police and has been charged with one count of second-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder. 

The motive for the deadly 48-minute rampage is not yet totally cleared. However, the New York Police Department Commissioner said that there are no signs that the incident was a terrorism act, but instead the driver was suffering from a mental health crisis. 

The driver told police during questioning that he started running over people because an “invisible object” was coming towards him. 

Chief of Detectives James Essig told reporters on Tuesday that Sog has a history of violence and mental illness. However, his family said that he had stopped taking medication. 

"He states when he’s driving his van he sees an 'invisible object' come towards the car. At that point, he says, ‘I’ve had enough’ and he goes on his rampage," Essig said. "There was no object."

Sor, who lived in Las Vegas, arrived in New York last week and had been pulled over in the U-Haul twice prior to the attack. He was expected to be arraigned on Tuesday or Wednesday.