A driver accidentally steered his rented car into pedestrians on a Berlin pavement, injuring no one but leaving investigators scratching their heads after he fled the scene.

People jumped out of the path the car that was traveling at high speed in the the western Reinickendorf district late Friday, police said.

But while the incident initially prompted fears of an attempted terrorist attack, police said they had determined it was a accident.

Video footage taken from a nearby business showed the driver had been forced to make an evasive maneuver to avoid colliding with another vehicle. The incident took place near a bus stop and an underground station.

Witnesses were able to record the vehicle's registration number, police said, enabling them to locate and search the vehicle renter's Berlin apartment.

The 35-year-old Moroccan driver reported to police late Saturday and he is being questioned.

Vehicles have been used as weapons in several terrorist attacks in Europe in the past year, including at a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016 when 12 people were killed and dozens injured.