Wrong-way driver flees after fatal Queens collision
The pleasure of it
A driver traveling against traffic hit 25-year-old Antonio Smith-Ortiz near 149th Avenue and 121st Street in Queens and fled, police told the Daily News; the official record lists one person killed in a crash at 10:04 p.m. on June 10, 2025.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
The official record places the crash at 10:04 p.m. on June 10, 2025, near 149th Avenue and 121st Street in Queens, and lists one person killed. Police told the Daily News that Smith-Ortiz was riding east on 149th Avenue when a driver traveling against traffic in the eastbound lane hit him at about 10:05 p.m. The paper reported that the driver then hit an unoccupied parked Ford van and fled. The Daily News also reported that medics took Smith-Ortiz to Jamaica Hospital, where he could not be saved. As of June 11, police had not caught the driver or developed a description of the vehicle.
The driver left after hitting the parked van
The crash record places the collision at 10:04 p.m. on June 10, 2025, at 149th Avenue and 121st Street in Queens, and lists one person killed. Police told the Daily News that Smith-Ortiz was riding east on 149th Avenue when a driver going against traffic in the eastbound lane hit him at about 10:05 p.m. The paper reported that the driver then hit an unoccupied parked Ford van and sped away.
Smith-Ortiz lived in Ozone Park
Police told the Daily News that Antonio Smith-Ortiz, 25, lived in Ozone Park. The paper reported that medics took him to Jamaica Hospital, where he could not be saved. His family declined to comment to the newspaper.
Reports use different vehicle labels
The Daily News described Smith-Ortiz's ride as a gas-powered 2015 Honda PCX 150 moped, while El Diario described it as a motorcycle. The official record contains both motorcycle and moped classifications.
The Daily News identified the parked vehicle as a 2015 Ford Transit 350 Courier van. The official record classifies a parked 2015 Ford as a station wagon or sport utility vehicle.
The record notes improper lane use
The official crash record lists "Passing or Lane Usage Improper" as a contributing factor. Separately, police told the Daily News that the driver was traveling against traffic in the eastbound lane.
Police had not caught the driver
As of its June 11 report, the Daily News said police had not caught the driver or developed a description of the driver's vehicle.
Where
149 AVE and 121 ST