The Bronx man accused of mowing down a crowd of people in Times Square pleaded not guilty Thursday during his arraignment in Manhattan.
Richard Rojas was indicted on more than 50 charges, including murder and attempted murder, before the State Supreme Court.
The 26-year-old is accused of intentionally driving his car into a group of pedestrians in May, including Alyssa Elsman, 18, from Michigan, killing her.
Elsman's sister and dozens of others were injured, some of them critically.
After the deadly incident, the Manhattan district attorney said Rojas, who is a Navy veteran, told police he smoked marijuana that was laced with PCP and that he wanted "to kill them all."
Prosecutors also allege Rojas said police should have shot him in order to stop him.
Rojas's lawyer said he is looking into a mental illness or temporary insanity defense.
He said his defendant deserves a fair trial regardless of the circumstances.
"Terrible, terrible what happened to people in this case. But we live in a civilized society, so we have to do the best we can," said Enrico Demarco, Rojas's lawyer. "And what we do for this man will show us what kind of society we are."
The family of Jessica Williams of New Jersey was at the court appearance.
Williams was critically injured and is still recovering from the crash.
Her family gave Rojas the middle finger when he turned back towards the audience.
Rojas has multiple prior arrests, including two for driving while intoxicated.
Richard Rojas is expected to be back in court at the end of October.