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15-year-old girl dies after truck hits 2 teens in East Village
By
Ryan Kost
Published Sep 19, 2026
Modified Sep 19, 2026
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By
Ryan Kost
Published Sep 19, 2026
Modified Sep 19, 2026
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A 15-year-old girl was killed Friday night when a truck driver making a right turn hit the bicycle she was riding with another teenager in the East Village, police said.
The crash happened around 9 p.m. at East 14th Street and First Avenue, according to the NYPD. A 57-year-old man driving a Peterbilt commercial truck was heading west and turning on First Avenue when he hit the bike, police said. The bike was traveling in the same direction and attempting the same turn.
A 16-year-old girl was operating the bike; the younger girl was a passenger, according to police. Both were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where the 15-year-old, Daria Serkov of Manhattan, was pronounced dead. The 16-year-old was treated for a leg injury and was in stable condition, the NYPD said.
The driver was not hurt and remained at the scene, police said. No arrests have been made as of Saturday morning. The NYPD’s Highway District Collision Investigation Squad is investigating.
The truck had a Badger Daylighting logo on its side in photographs taken at the scene. A spokesperson for Badger confirmed one of its vehicles had been involved in the crash. The company said it was fully cooperating with police.
The incident happened the same week that Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a revised “Vision Zero” plan following a series of hit-and-run incidents over the summer. The plan was light on specifics, but called for establishing new “pedestrian-only” districts and cracking down on reckless and impaired drivers.
Advocates say this thoroughfare has a dangerous reputation — Serkov was the fourth cyclist killed on an eight-block stretch of First Avenue in the past decade, according to Transportation Alternatives. They are calling on officials to implement safety measures.
“We’re counting on the City of New York to fix this chaotic intersection to make it safe for New Yorkers who are walking, biking, riding, or driving, no matter if they’re going straight or turning right," Transportation Alternatives' Executive Director Ben Furnas said in a statement. "That means turn calming, protected bike infrastructure, and a protected bike intersection to prevent crashes and tragedies like this from ever happening again.”
Tagged
manhattan
new york city
public safety
Ryan Kost
Ryan Kost is a reporter on the day-of news desk, where he covers breaking news and writes enterprise stories about jails, courts, prosecutors and government accountability. His work focuses on the public institutions that shape life in New York. Before joining the newsroom, he lead a multi-part investigation with Columbia Journalism Investigations and New York Focus into how New York prosecutors handle wrongful conviction claims. He's also been a staff writer at The San Francisco Chronicle, The Associated Press and The Oregonian. Got a tip? Signal: ryankost.20
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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