Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Two Men Die In Separate Motorized Bike Collisions Ahead Of Labor Day Crackdown On Dangerous Driving
By
Sophia Chang
Published Sep 5, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Sophia Chang
Published Sep 5, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A 25-year-old man on an electric bike died of head trauma after colliding with a pedestrian on the Willis Avenue Bridge bike path early Saturday, police said.
The pedestrian, described as a 46-year-old man, was taken to Harlem Hospital with a shoulder injury and listed in stable condition, police said.
The collision happened as the driver, who was not wearing a helmet, headed northbound on the bridge’s bike path and struck the pedestrian around 1:16 a.m. Saturday. The victim’s identity has not been released.
Another man died after he drove his motorcycle into a police cruiser pulled over on the side of the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn early Saturday, police said.
Around 1 a.m. Saturday, the 41-year-old man was driving a 2014 BMW motorcycle heading westbound on the Belt Parkway between Cross Bay Boulevard and Erskine Street in the left lane of the parkway when he struck the rear of a marked NYPD Highway Unit car stopped in the same lane at “an apparent high rate of speed,” police said.
“Upon impact, the motorcyclist became ejected from the motorcycle, and came to a rest on the roadway,” the police said in a statement. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
NYPD said the highway unit car had its emergency lights on and the officer was responding to a disabled vehicle at the scene. The motorcyclist hit the vehicle with such force, the motorcycle ended up on the NYPD car's trunk, according to the New York Post.
The officer, who was sitting inside his vehicle at the time of the collision, was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Queens “in stable condition with neck and back pain,” NYPD said.
The names of the motorcyclist and the highway unit officer were not yet released by police Saturday.
(Update: Police have identified the motorcyclist as Matthew Hester, 41, of Hempstead on Long Island.)
On Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo urged motorists to stay sober and drive carefully during the Labor Day weekend. He cited a spike in motorcycle fatalities as reported by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee that released preliminary data showing as of August 15th, deaths from motorcycle crashes are up more than 17% compared to the same period in 2019.
"Danger does not take a holiday and with increased traffic on the road this Labor Day weekend, we all have a responsibility to exercise good judgment and caution," Cuomo said, announcing a Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over impaired driving enforcement crackdown. "New York State will continue to crack down on dangerous driving behavior because the safety of all drivers and passengers will always be a top priority for us."
“The motorcycle riding season is winding down and with nice weather predicted for this long holiday weekend, we expect more traffic and more riders on the roads, so I am urging everyone to be responsible, pay attention, and slow down,” said Mark J.F. Schroeder, DMV Commissioner and Chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, in a release. “We all play a part in keeping one another safe on our roads and it is up to every driver and rider to stop this alarming trend in motorcycle fatalities from continuing."
Tagged
street safety
motor vehicle accident
belt parkway
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .