Police say the two victims were struck around 5:40 p.m. at 37th Avenue and 90th Street in Jackson Heights.
Law enforcement sources told Eyewitness News 26-year-old Richard Rojas appeared extremely impaired after the crash. It's believed he had been smoking the drug, also known as K2, prior to the crash that killed a tourist and injured 22 others.
Times Squares at a near stand-still after deadly crash
Richard Rojas, 26, of the Bronx, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for allegedly driving his car up a Seventh Avenue sidewalk. Police said he plowed through a crowd of people at a high rate of speed.
Concrete barriers were placed along Seventh Avenue.
The victim has been identified as Alyssa Elsman. She was among 23 people struck by a speeding car driven up the sidewalk on Seventh Avenue just before noon.