Jeep Driver Turns Before Fatal Bensonhurst Motorcycle Crash
Hector Ortiz was turning a Jeep at Avenue P and West 4th Street in Brooklyn at about 3:56 p.m. on April 22, 2022, when a collision killed 26-year-old EMT Zhon Gerard Sherman and injured two children.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
Hector Ortiz was turning a Jeep at Avenue P and West 4th Street in Bensonhurst when he and motorcyclist Zhon Gerard Sherman collided on April 22, 2022. Sherman, 26, was an EMT at Maimonides Medical Center, where he died after the crash. Two girls riding with Ortiz were injured. 1010 WINS reported that Ortiz faced vehicular manslaughter, aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child, and unlicensed-operation charges. The city record lists illegal drugs as a contributing factor for the Jeep driver, while 1010 WINS described Ortiz as intoxicated.
A left turn and a collision
At 3:56 p.m. on April 22, 2022, the driver of a Jeep was heading east and making a left turn as Sherman traveled north on his motorcycle. They collided at Avenue P and West 4th Street. The city recorded one death and two injuries.
1010 WINS identified the Jeep driver as Hector Ortiz, 64. It reported that Sherman was thrown from his motorcycle and died at Maimonides Medical Center.
A few blocks from home
The collision happened at Avenue P and West 4th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The Daily News reported that the intersection was a few blocks from Sherman's home; his cousin said Sherman was born and raised in the neighborhood.
An EMT remembered for helping others
The Daily News identified the motorcyclist as Zhon Gerard Sherman, 26, an EMT at Maimonides Medical Center who hoped to become a nurse. His cousin Nicholas Ramcharitar remembered him as someone friends could call for help: "If you had problems, he was the one to solve it." The Daily News said Sherman was on his way to pick up his girlfriend.
The Daily News spells his first name Zhon; 1010 WINS spells it Zohn. 1010 WINS reported that two girls, ages 6 and 9, were riding with Ortiz and were treated for minor injuries.
Reports differ on the Jeep model
The city record identifies a 2016 Jeep SUV and a 2021 motorcycle. The Daily News called the Jeep a Patriot, while 1010 WINS called it a Liberty. The Daily News identified Sherman's motorcycle as a Harley-Davidson.
What the records say about the driver
The city record lists illegal drugs as a contributing factor for the Jeep driver. Separately, 1010 WINS described Ortiz as intoxicated and reported an aggravated driving-while-intoxicated charge.
Bystanders helped; police took the driver into custody
The Daily News reported that bystanders tried to help Sherman after the collision. 1010 WINS reported that police took Ortiz into custody at the scene and that he faced vehicular manslaughter, aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child, and unlicensed-operation charges.