Driver charged after scooter rider dies in Jackson Heights crash
Police said Jairo Ortiz, a 24-year-old BMW driver, was arrested after a late-night crash at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street, where the official record lists one motorist killed.
What We Know
A scooter rider and a BMW driver collided at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street in Jackson Heights shortly after 1 a.m. on Nov. 26, 2022. The official record lists one motorist killed and notes alcohol involvement for the sedan driver. Police told amNY that Jairo Ortiz, 24, of Flushing, remained at the scene, was determined to be intoxicated, and faced charges including vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. The New York Post reported that charges were pending that day. Accounts differ on the exact contact: amNY reported that the scooter rider crashed into the back of the BMW, while the official record lists damage to the BMW's left side doors and the scooter's front end.
A scooter rider died after a late-night collision
The official record places the crash at 1:16 a.m. on Nov. 26, 2022, at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street in Queens. A 2021 Zhilong motorscooter and a 2011 BMW sedan were involved, and one motorist was killed.
Police told the New York Post that the scooter operator was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where he died. The Post reported that the scooter rider was heading west on 37th Avenue and the BMW driver was heading south on 82nd Street.
Police cited intoxication and filed criminal charges
The official crash record lists alcohol involvement for the sedan driver. amNY reported that police determined Ortiz was intoxicated and arrested him after he remained at the scene.
Records and news accounts differ on the point of impact
amNY reported that the scooter rider crashed into the back of the BMW sedan. The official record, however, lists the BMW's left side doors as the point of impact and the scooter's center front end as its point of impact.
The official record lists both drivers as unlicensed.
The crash happened on a busy Queens corridor
The collision occurred at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street in Jackson Heights. CrashCountNYC's 37th Avenue context for Queens recorded 1,173 crashes, 670 injuries, 55 serious injuries and 6 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
amNY reported that a stretch of 37th Avenue in Woodside and Jackson Heights had been designated a Vision Zero priority corridor in 2019 after multiple deaths.
Elected officials mourned the death and warned against drunk driving
amNY reported that Councilmember Shekar Krishnan called the death senseless traffic violence on Thanksgiving weekend, and State Senator Jessica Ramos urged residents not to drink and drive.