The police officer who captured the New York terror attack suspect alive by shooting him in the stomach has been hailed a "hero" who "risked his life to save others".
Ryan Nash was responding to reports of a suicidal teenage girl at a nearby school when the attack happened, according to the New York Daily News.
Half an hour later he was at the scene of the rampage in Manhattan, where a man driving a truck hit and killed eight people and injured several others.
::What we know about NY terror attack suspect
:: How the Manhattan terror attack unfolded
During a news conference, Police Commissioner James P O'Neill told reporters a "uniformed police officer assigned to the 1st Precinct, confronted the subject and shot him in the abdomen".
He added: "I want to commend the response of our NYPD officer that was on post near the location who stopped the carnage moments after it began."
Mayor Bill de Blasio also praised the officer's "extraordinary efforts", which he said "stopped this tragedy from continuing".
Uzbekistan national Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, the 29-year-old suspected killer, was transferred to a hospital and is expected to survive after surgery.
::New Yorkers urged to carry on after attack
Joe Borelli, a Republican New York City councillor, tweeted a photo of the police officer in uniform and wrote: "Here's the hero cop the world should be talking about.
"Police Officer Ryan Nash risked his life to save others. Thank u Ryan, thank u #NYPD."
The police officer joined the New York Police Department in July 2012 and has more than 50 arrests to his record, a CBS News report said.
The broadcaster said he was taken to hospital to be treated for ringing in his ears.
