BMW driver charged after fatal Jackson Heights crash
BMW driver Jairo Ortiz, 24, was arrested after a collision at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street in Queens killed a scooter rider at 1:16 a.m. on November 26, 2022; prosecutors later charged him with vehicular manslaughter.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
BMW driver Jairo Ortiz, 24, was arrested after a collision at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street in Queens left a scooter rider dead. The official record gives the time as 1:16 a.m. on November 26, 2022, and records one person killed. Prosecutors later charged Ortiz with vehicular manslaughter and other offenses. Sources describe the rider's vehicle differently: the official record lists a motorscooter, ABC7 and the New York Post call it a motor scooter, and a later QNS report calls it a motorcycle. On the contact point, the official record lists the BMW's left-side doors, while QNS, citing the charges, says the rider collided with its rear.
At 37th Avenue and 82nd Street
The official record places the collision at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street in Queens at 1:16 a.m. on November 26, 2022. Police accounts in the New York Post and ABC7 describe the intersection as Jackson Heights and put the time at about 1:15 a.m.
Accounts differ on the point of contact
Police told the New York Post the rider was traveling west on 37th Avenue and the BMW driver south on 82nd Street when they collided. QNS later reported, citing the charges, that the rider collided with the BMW's rear. The official record lists the BMW's point of impact as its left-side doors, a different contact location.
The official record counts one person killed. ABC7 reported that the rider was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Reports use different terms for the rider's vehicle
Official records list a 2021 Zhilong motorscooter and a 2011 BMW sedan. ABC7 and the New York Post call the rider's vehicle a motor scooter; QNS's November 29 report, citing prosecutors, calls it a 2021 Zhilong Fly Wing motorcycle.
Alcohol involvement was reported
The official record lists alcohol involvement as a contributing factor for the sedan's driver. QNS reported that the complaint alleged a police alcohol test at the scene showed Ortiz's blood alcohol content was above the legal limit.
Ortiz was arrested and arraigned
ABC7 reported that Jairo Ortiz, 24, was arrested on DWI charges. QNS reported that he was arraigned on November 27 on charges of vehicular manslaughter, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and driving without a license.