Within about 15 minutes, two apparently reckless vehicle operators died in a pair of collisions on the streets of Queens and the Bronx early Saturday morning, police reported.
Authorities said the first incident happened in Queens at 1:02 a.m. on Sept. 5 along the Belt Parkway between the Cross Bay Boulevard and Erskine Street exits, in Howard Beach.
According to law enforcement sources, a 41-year-old man rode a 2014 BMW motorcycle along the westbound lanes of the parkway at a high rate of speed when it suddenly collided into the rear of a stopped NYPD Highway Patrol vehicle near 156th Street.
The police unit was there with crew to assist a disabled vehicle in the left lane, and had its emergency lights activated at the time, authorities said.
The impact of the rear-end collision sent the motorcyclist flying off of his ride and to the pavement.
Officers from the 106th Precinct and EMS units responded to the crash. Paramedics rushed the motorcyclist to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have withheld his identity, pending family notification.
Meanwhile, an NYPD officer who sat inside the Highway Patrol vehicle at the time of the crash was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospital for treatment of neck and back pain. No other injuries were reported.
Then, about 14 minutes later in the Bronx, police responded to a pedestrian and e-bike collision on the Willis Avenue Bridge.
According to police, at 1:16 a.m., a 25-year-old man was riding his e-bike northbound along the bridge’s bike path when he struck a 46-year-old man while he walked. The collision sent both men to the ground.
Cops said the e-bike rider did not wear a helmet, and he suffered head trauma upon hitting the concrete.
Officers from the 40th Precinct and EMS units responded to the scene. Paramedics brought the e-bike rider to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity has been withheld, pending family notification.
The pedestrian, meanwhile, was taken to Harlem Hospital for treatment of a shoulder injury.
No arrests have been made in either case, and the investigations are ongoing.
