15-Year-Old Moped Rider Killed in Washington Heights Crash
A 15-year-old moped rider was killed at St. Nicholas Avenue and West 185th Street, where police told the Post he was thrown from the moped and later died at Harlem Hospital.
What We Know
On Nov. 9, 2023, a 15-year-old male moped rider was killed at St. Nicholas Avenue and West 185th Street in Washington Heights. The official record lists one person killed and no other injuries, with unsafe speed recorded as a contributing factor. It identifies the rider as the moped driver, traveling south, and the SUV driver as traveling east. The Post, citing police, reported that the teen was thrown from the moped, suffered a head injury, was taken to Harlem Hospital and was later pronounced dead. The paper reported that the driver of the Jeep remained at the scene and that police said no criminality was suspected at the time. Sources describe the other vehicle differently: the official record lists a 2023 GMC SUV, while the Post described it as a Jeep/SUV.
A fatal afternoon crash in Washington Heights
The crash happened at about 1:25 p.m. on Nov. 9, 2023, at St. Nicholas Avenue and West 185th Street. The official record lists a 15-year-old male moped driver as the only person killed and records no other injuries.
The Post, citing police, reported that the teen was thrown from the moped, suffered a head injury, was unconscious after the crash, and was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The corner sits on a high-crash Manhattan corridor
The crash was recorded at St. Nicholas Avenue and West 185th Street in Manhattan, in the 10033 ZIP code.
CrashCountNYC’s corridor context for St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan shows 1,170 crashes, 728 injuries, 65 serious injuries and 4 deaths from Jan. 1, 2022, through June 1, 2026.
Records and police accounts differ on the SUV description
The official record lists the rider’s vehicle as a 2023 Zhilong moped traveling south and going straight ahead. It lists the other driver in a 2023 GMC SUV traveling east and going straight ahead.
The Post, citing police, described the other vehicle as a Jeep/SUV and reported that the driver remained at the scene. Photos from the scene, according to the Post, showed front driver-side damage and a moped on the ground at a crosswalk.
Unsafe speed was recorded as a factor
The official crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor for the crash. In the moped entry, the record also lists unsafe speed and traffic control disregarded.
The Post reported that the NYPD said no criminality was suspected at the time and that the Highway Collision Investigation Squad’s probe was ongoing.