Teen passenger killed in Bronx moped and SUV crash
An unlicensed male moped driver carrying Daphne Juan, 15, was involved in a 12:08 p.m. crash with a 22-year-old Honda Pilot driver at University Avenue and West 192nd Street, where police said Juan died at the scene.
What We Know
Daphne Juan, 15, was a rear passenger on a northbound moped involved in a crash with a northbound Honda Pilot driver near University Avenue and West 192nd Street. Police told reporters that Juan and the moped driver were found unconscious and unresponsive with major injuries; Juan was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital. News accounts described the two-wheeler as a scooter, while the official record categorizes it as a moped and lists its driver as unlicensed. The Post reported that the driver was 19 and critical; Gothamist reported that he was 18 and later stable. The Honda driver, 22, stayed at the scene, according to both accounts.
Daphne Juan died at the scene
Gothamist identified the passenger as Daphne Juan, 15. Police told reporters that Juan and the moped driver were found unconscious and unresponsive with significant injuries to their heads and bodies. Juan was pronounced dead at the scene.
The articles differed on the moped driver’s age and condition. The Post reported that he was 19 and in critical condition at St. Barnabas Hospital; Gothamist reported that he was 18 and later listed in stable condition.
The two-wheeler was described differently across sources
News accounts described the two-wheeler as a scooter. The official record categorizes it as a 2023 Teyin moped, lists the driver as unlicensed, and records damage to its front end.
The other driver was in a Honda Pilot, according to the articles. The official record categorizes that driver’s vehicle as a 2005 Honda SUV and lists the driver as licensed in New York.
Records and early police comments do not say the same thing about cause
Gothamist reported the next day that officials said it was still unclear what caused the crash. The official record later lists passing or lane usage improper for the crash and lists unsafe speed as an additional factor for the moped driver.
The crash happened on a Bronx street with repeated recent injuries
The crash occurred at University Avenue and West 192nd Street in the Bronx, near the Kingsbridge Heights location identified in Gothamist’s police account.
CrashCountNYC’s location context for West 192nd Street in the Bronx shows 36 crashes, 15 injuries, 2 serious injuries and 1 death since 2022.
The Honda driver stayed, and police later made an arrest in another case
Both news accounts reported that the 22-year-old Honda driver stayed at the scene. The Post reported that he was not facing charges as of Tuesday afternoon, and Gothamist reported that he was not injured.
Gothamist also reported that police later arrested the moped driver in connection with a different case, with charges pending at the time of publication.