Driver's Illegal U-Turn Preceded Fatal Queens Crash
A 24-year-old driver making an illegal U-turn, police said, was involved in a collision that killed motorcyclist Raiquel Tapia-Villar at Cross Bay Boulevard and 165th Avenue in Queens; the official record lists the crash at 1:23 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2023.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said a 24-year-old man driving a 2020 BMW X3 was traveling north on Cross Bay Boulevard when he made an illegal U-turn from the left-turn bay at 165th Avenue, despite a posted no-U-turn sign. QNS reported that Raiquel Tapia-Villar, 29, was riding south on a 2004 Honda CBR 1000 toward the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge; Patch said Tapia-Villar collided with the SUV at its passenger side. The official record lists the collision at 1:23 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2023, while Patch reported about 1:25 a.m. QNS reported that EMS took Tapia-Villar to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, and that the driver remained at the scene and was not immediately charged.
How the collision unfolded
QNS reported that a 24-year-old driver was traveling north on Cross Bay Boulevard and made an illegal U-turn from the left-turn bay at 165th Avenue, despite a posted no-U-turn sign. It said Tapia-Villar was riding south toward the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge and collided with the SUV; Patch located the impact at the SUV's passenger side.
Cross Bay Boulevard and 165th Avenue
The collision occurred at the intersection of Cross Bay Boulevard and 165th Avenue in Queens. QNS identifies the location as Howard Beach.
Raiquel Tapia-Villar
QNS identified Tapia-Villar, 29, as a resident of Beach 54th Street in Arverne. It reported that officers found him unconscious and EMS transported him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The reported vehicle descriptions
QNS identified the driver's vehicle as a 2020 BMW X3 and Tapia-Villar's as a 2004 Honda CBR 1000. Patch described the BMW as an SUV, while the official record classifies it as a station wagon/sport utility vehicle and lists the other vehicle as a motorcycle.
The investigation continued
Patch reported that the BMW driver stayed at the scene and was uninjured. QNS said the driver was not immediately charged and that the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.