Jeep Driver Fatally Hits ATV Rider on Southern Boulevard
A hit-and-run Jeep driver hit Raymond Brightman and another rider near Southern Boulevard and East 180th Street on Nov. 17, 2023; the official record lists one motorist killed and one injured.
What We Know
A 37-year-old man riding a motorbike was killed on Southern Boulevard near East 180th Street in the Bronx. According to the police report, the driver of a pickup truck hit the motorbike from behind, ejecting the rider, who suffered a fatal head injury and died at the scene. Police recorded driver inattention and following too closely as contributing factors. The crash happened on a Friday evening and involved a pickup truck and a motorbike, both traveling south.
Police described a hit-and-run on Southern Boulevard
City crash records list the crash at 7:22 p.m. at Southern Boulevard and East 180th Street in the Bronx, with one motorist killed and one motorist injured.
Raymond Brightman died after being taken to St. Barnabas
The Daily News reported that the other rider suffered a back injury and was expected to recover. Friends later gathered at a candlelit memorial outside Brightman's East Harlem home.
Sources differ on the rides involved
The Daily News, citing police, identified Brightman as an ATV rider and said his friend was on an off-road motorcycle when the Jeep driver hit them. City vehicle records attach the fatality to a motorbike entry and also list an all-terrain vehicle and a Jeep pickup truck involved.
The official vehicle records describe all three listed drivers as traveling south and going straight ahead before the crash.
The official record cites inattention and following too closely
City crash records cite driver inattention or distraction for the involved drivers and list following too closely for the pickup truck driver. The Daily News reported several days later that police were still seeking the Jeep driver.
Southern Boulevard has seen repeated serious harm
The crash happened at Southern Boulevard and East 180th Street in the Bronx.
CrashCountNYC location context for Southern Boulevard in the Bronx shows 1,329 crashes, 920 injuries, 70 serious injuries and 8 deaths since 2022.