Teen Passenger Dies After Boy Hits Mazda in Queens
Police said a 15-year-old boy operating a Yamaha hit a Mazda outside St. John Cemetery on Feb. 21, 2022; the official record lists the Cooper Avenue and 88th Street collision as killing one 16-year-old passenger and injuring three others.
What We Know
Police said Alexandra Ariza, 16, was riding behind a 15-year-old boy on a 2021 Yamaha near Cooper Avenue and 88th Street in Glendale when the boy hit the front of a Mazda CX-30 outside St. John Cemetery on Feb. 21, 2022. Both teens were thrown onto the roadway. Medics took Alexandra to Jamaica Hospital with a head injury, and she died two days later. The boy was taken to Cohen Children's Medical Center with a leg injury, while the Mazda driver and his passenger were treated at Jamaica Hospital for minor injuries. The official crash record lists one person killed, three people injured, and Traffic Control Disregarded as a contributing factor; the Yamaha vehicle entry also lists Driver Inexperience. The Daily News reported that no charges had been filed.
A ride near the cemetery ended in a fatal injury
Police said Alexandra Ariza, 16, of Nyack, was seated behind a 15-year-old boy operating a 2021 Yamaha when he hit the front of a Mazda CX-30 outside St. John Cemetery on Cooper Avenue near 88th Street in Glendale at 3:13 p.m. on Feb. 21, 2022.
The official vehicle entries describe the Yamaha as eastbound and going straight, and the Mazda driver as traveling northwest and making a left turn.
Four people were hurt, and one teen died two days later
The Daily News reported that both teens were thrown from the Yamaha and found on the asphalt. Medics took the boy to Cohen Children's Medical Center with a leg injury. Alexandra suffered a head injury and was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where she died two days later.
The crash happened on a Queens corridor with repeated harm
The collision occurred at Cooper Avenue and 88th Street in Queens, near St. John Cemetery in Glendale.
CrashCountNYC's location context for 88th Street in Queens counts 379 crashes, 204 injuries, 12 serious injuries, and one death since 2022.
Records point to a traffic-control violation
The official crash record lists Traffic Control Disregarded as the contributing factor for the collision. The Yamaha vehicle entry also lists Driver Inexperience, and the official driver-license field for the Yamaha operator lists him as unlicensed.
The official records use different labels for the Yamaha: the crash summary lists a moped, while the vehicle entry and the Daily News account describe a motorcycle.
Police reported no charges in the initial account
The Daily News reported on March 10, 2022, that no charges had been filed.