Driver fled after striking a scooter rider who later died in Queens.
The concession
Police said Dwayne Bovell fled after striking 30-year-old scooter rider Brendan Marmolejos at Vernon Boulevard and 44th Drive in Queens; the official record places the crash at 5:59 p.m. on July 20, 2022, and records one death.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said Dwayne Bovell, driving south on Vernon Boulevard, struck Brendan Marmolejos, who was riding west on 44th Drive, and fled. The official record places the crash at 5:59 p.m. on July 20, 2022, at Vernon Boulevard and 44th Drive and records one death. QNS reported that Bovell was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury; the Daily News later reported that prosecutors deferred prosecution while investigating.
Police accounts describe the riders' directions and the driver's flight.
QNS reported that police said Bovell was driving south on Vernon Boulevard when he struck Marmolejos, who was riding west on 44th Drive. Police said Bovell fled. Emergency responders took Marmolejos to Bellevue Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
The collision happened in Long Island City.
The crash happened at Vernon Boulevard and 44th Drive in Long Island City, Queens. The official record gives the time as 5:59 p.m. on July 20, 2022; QNS described it as around 6 p.m.
Reports used different descriptions for the vehicles.
The official record categorizes one vehicle as a 2022 station wagon/sport utility vehicle and identifies the other as a Ninebot e-scooter. The Daily News and QNS described the driver's vehicle as a Porsche SUV; Patch called it a car. The Daily News described Marmolejos's scooter as a standup electric scooter, while Patch called it a motor-scooter.
Marmolejos worked in Long Island City.
Patch reported that Marmolejos lived on 30th Avenue in Astoria and worked as a restaurant manager at Murray's Cheese Bar in Long Island City. His cousin Jason Meneses organized a fundraiser for medical and funeral expenses and travel for Marmolejos's mother and brother, Patch reported. The Daily News said the fundraiser raised more than $21,000.
Meneses wrote, “The pain is immeasurable for all of us,” according to the Daily News.
The Daily News reported that Marmolejos died July 27, one week after the July 20 crash. QNS also gives July 27 and describes the July 20 crash as occurring the previous month. Patch instead prints July 27, 2024, while also saying he died one week after the crash.
Bovell faced a leaving-the-scene charge.
QNS reported that Bovell was arrested and charged on July 22 with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury. The Daily News reported that Bovell surrendered to police with an attorney two days after the crash. Citing a law enforcement source, the Daily News said the Queens District Attorney's office deferred prosecution while the investigation continued.