Teen moped operator and passenger killed on Cross Island Parkway
Police told reporters that 15-year-old Andy Rodriguez lost control while operating a moped near 150th Street, and the official record says he and 19-year-old passenger Giselle Flores were killed at about 1:58 a.m. on the Cross Island Parkway.
What We Know
Andy Rodriguez, 15, was operating a southbound 2023 Taizhou moped with Giselle Flores, 19, as passenger near 150th Street around 2 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2024. The official record says both occupants were killed. Police told reporters that Rodriguez failed to navigate the roadway, lost control and hit a wall or barrier; Giselle was pronounced dead at the scene, and Andy was taken to Flushing Hospital Medical Center, where he died. A later Post account citing Giselle’s twin sister said she was told the riders made contact with a car before being thrown toward the wall, while the official record lists only the moped. Police reported no arrests in the immediate aftermath.
Two riders died after a late-night moped crash
Around 1:58 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2024, the official record lists a southbound 2023 Taizhou moped traveling straight ahead on the Cross Island Parkway at 150 Street with two occupants. The record says the 15-year-old male operator and the 19-year-old female passenger were killed.
Police and press accounts identified the operator as Andy Rodriguez and the passenger as Giselle Flores. Police told reporters Rodriguez lost control and hit a wall or barrier on the Queens highway.
The crash was reported near the 150th Street overpass
The official record places the crash on the Cross Island Parkway at 150 Street. The Daily News described the scene as the southbound parkway near the 150th Street overpass, where police found Giselle on the asphalt near the moped.
Press accounts described the impact area as a highway wall or barrier, making the roadside structure central to how police publicly described the crash.
Police and relatives identified the two teenagers
Giselle Flores, 19
The Daily News and the Post identified the passenger as Giselle Flores, a 19-year-old Queens resident. Her twin sister, Sharick Flores, told reporters Giselle had been out with a friend and was expected to see family later that Labor Day weekend.
Andy Rodriguez, 15
Police and press accounts identified the moped operator as Andy Rodriguez, 15. The official record lists the operator as unlicensed, and articles reported that he was taken to Flushing Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Accounts differ on whether another driver was involved
The initial police account quoted by the Post said the 15-year-old operator failed to navigate the roadway and hit the wall. The Daily News similarly reported that he lost control and hit a barrier wall.
A later Post story, citing what Sharick Flores said she had been told by a friend, described the riders making contact with a car before being thrown toward the wall. The official record supplied for this crash lists only the moped.
Police reported no immediate arrests
The Post reported on Aug. 31 that police had made no arrests. The same article said police were still investigating who took Andy to the hospital and whether anything more could have been done for Giselle at the scene.
The later Post account said NYPD Highway 1 officers handled the investigation.