A hat, a backpack and a bouquet of purple flowers were strewn across the scene of a fatal crash in Lower Manhattan Wednesday morning. The items belonged to a 17-year-old e-bike rider who died after colliding with an SUV.
"All I heard was people screaming, and I looked outside, and it was an accident," one witness said.
The crash happened just before 9 a.m. at Centre Street and Chambers Street, steps from NYPD headquarters and several municipal buildings.
Police said the 17-year-old was riding an electric bike off the Brooklyn Bridge and merged into the same lane as a black Chevy Tahoe, colliding with the vehicle.
The teen was not wearing a helmet and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Department of Transportation, the teen appears to have been riding a Deepower electric bike, which is illegal to sell and operate in New York City because it can accelerate to speeds greater than 25 miles per hour.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said he was notified of the crash by staff members who witnessed it.
"I immediately got reports from my staff who witnessed this firsthand... we have to think about the young man and his family. My heart is breaking. We need to do more for them to educate, to ensure that there's appropriate enforcement," he said.
Members of the nonprofit Transportation Alternatives also responded to the scene.
The organization is calling on Attorney General Letitia James to issue a consumer alert warning customers about purchasing high-speed e-bikes online.
Emily Jacobi, a senior organizer with Transportation Alternatives, said safety concerns surrounding high-speed devices continue to grow.
"Most people want to go out and be safe on our streets. They want to get home to school, to work safely. Right now, we're being kind of distributed by all types of companies, devices that go much faster," Jacobi said.
According to police, 13 "traditional bicyclists and e-bicyclists" have been involved in fatal collisions so far this year. That's compared to just eight victims this time last year. That number does not include Wednesday's collision.
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