Two Honda drivers involved in FDR Drive crash that killed rider
Two 19-year-old Honda drivers were involved in a January 29 crash on the FDR Drive that left rider Nathaniel Knight pinned under a Honda and dead at the scene.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Nathaniel Knight, 40, was riding north on the FDR Drive near East 55th Street when a collision involving two 19-year-old Honda drivers left him pinned beneath a Honda. Police pronounced him dead at the scene. The accounts differ on the order of impacts: amNewYork reported that one driver hit Knight from behind before the second driver hit that Honda; the New York Post reported that the second driver rear-ended the first Honda, pushing it into Knight. The official record puts the crash at 9:51 p.m. on January 29, 2023, while the articles place it around 10:30 p.m. Both drivers stayed at the scene.
Accounts differ on the order of impacts
amNewYork reported that a driver in a 2008 Honda Civic hit Knight from behind, then a second driver hit the Honda and pushed it onto Knight. The New York Post reported a different sequence: one Honda driver braked, and a second driver rear-ended his Honda, pushing it into Knight. Both accounts say Knight was pinned beneath a Honda and pronounced dead at the scene.
The official record puts the crash at 9:51 p.m. on January 29, 2023. Both articles place it around 10:30 p.m.
On the FDR Drive near East 55th Street
Knight was riding north on the FDR Drive near East 55th Street in Manhattan. The New York Post reported that both Honda drivers were behind him on the highway.
Nathaniel Knight and the two drivers
Knight was 40 and lived in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The two Honda drivers were both 19-year-old men; neither was hurt, according to the news accounts.
How the vehicles were described
City vehicle records identify Knight's ride as a FLY-7 e-bike and the two Hondas as 2008 and 2006 sedans. Both articles describe Knight's ride as an electric motorcycle; the New York Post calls both Hondas Civics.
A reported concern about racing
The New York Post reported that police said the two Honda drivers appeared to be racing behind Knight. City vehicle records describe both Honda drivers as changing lanes before the collision.
Police investigated
Both Honda drivers remained at the scene. amNewYork reported that the NYPD's Highway Collision Investigation Squad was investigating and that police had made no arrests as of January 30, 2023; the New York Post reported that no charges had been immediately filed.