Driver indicted in Astoria crash that killed teen cyclist.
Police identified Yaser Ibrahim as the driver who left after a collision that killed 16-year-old Citi Bike rider Jaydan McLaurin at 21st Street and 21st Avenue in Queens, recorded at 9:35 p.m. on April 10, 2023.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police identified Yaser Ibrahim as the driver of a southbound BMW and said he left after the collision with 16-year-old Citi Bike rider Jaydan McLaurin. Reports differed on whether Ibrahim stopped before leaving and on McLaurin's direction of travel. McLaurin was taken to Harlem Hospital, where reports said he was pronounced dead. Prosecutors later alleged Ibrahim ran a red light; an 11-count indictment included manslaughter and other charges.
Accounts differ on the route and what happened next
QNS reported that 16-year-old Jaydan McLaurin was riding a Citi Bike e-bike north on 21st Street when Yaser Ibrahim, driving a southbound 2022 BMW X7, hit him near 21st Avenue. The official record places the collision at 9:35 p.m. on April 10, 2023, counts one cyclist killed, and lists the BMW moving south and the e-bike northwest.
Reports gave different accounts of McLaurin's direction: the New York Post described him traveling south, while QNS and Gothamist reported he was riding north. CBS reported detectives thought he appeared to cross diagonally, and the official record lists his direction as northwest. Accounts also differ on whether Ibrahim initially stopped. QNS's initial police account said he did not stop; ABC7 said he stopped before leaving. A later QNS report said Ibrahim told investigators he stopped, saw debris and left after becoming nervous, while the Daily News reported prosecutors alleged he continued before stopping several blocks away to call his father.
The intersection is on a priority corridor
The crash happened at 21st Street and 21st Avenue in Astoria, Queens. Streetsblog reported that the location is on a Vision Zero priority corridor with an unprotected painted bike lane.
Basketball shaped McLaurin's life
McLaurin lived at the Ravenswood Houses and was a 10th grader at Martin Luther King High School for Law Advocacy and Community Justice, the Daily News reported. ABC7 reported that he played basketball at the Variety Boys and Girls Club. Coach Charles Melone recalled, "He just loved to play basketball."
ABC7 reported that McLaurin had helped his team win a tournament and received an award for being one of its hardest workers. At a vigil, his grandmother, Elizabeth McLaurin, recalled him saying he would graduate.
Ibrahim faced an indictment later that year
QNS reported that police found the BMW unoccupied at 23rd Street and 22nd Drive and arrested Ibrahim. The outlet also reported that the charges alleged he told investigators he had been driving 45 to 50 mph on a street with a 25 mph speed limit.
The Daily News reported that Ibrahim was arraigned in June on an 11-count indictment that included second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault and leaving the scene. Prosecutors alleged he ran a red light before the collision. These are allegations and charges, not findings of guilt.