Organisers have said they are prepared to welcome the crowds and ensure their safety as thousands prepare to descend on New York’s Times Square for the traditional New Year celebrations.

Visitors to New York’s Times Square got a small preview of New York City’s famed New Year’s Eve party on Friday, as the event’s organisers heaved handfuls of coloured paper skyward in an event to test their confetti.

A man who drove his car through crowds of people in New York’s Times Square in 2017, killing a young tourist and injuring pedestrians, has been cleared of responsibility because of mental illness.

A man suspected of shooting three people in New York’s Times Square, including a four-year-old girl, has been arrested in Florida, according to a law enforcement official.

New York City police turned to familiar tactics ahead of Thursday’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, deploying bomb-sniffing dogs and sand-filled sanitation trucks intended to guard against explosions.