Wrong-way hit-and-run driver kills Queens moped rider
A wrong-way hit-and-run driver fatally struck 25-year-old Antonio Smith-Ortiz as he rode east on 149th Avenue at 121st Street, where the official record counted one motorist death.
What We Know
Antonio Smith-Ortiz, 25, was riding east on 149th Avenue near 121st Street in South Ozone Park at about 10:05 p.m. on June 10, 2025, when police said a driver going the opposite direction in the eastbound lane hit him and then left the scene. The official crash record lists one person killed, a 25-year-old male driver, and cites improper passing or lane usage as a contributing factor. The Daily News reported that medics took Smith-Ortiz to Jamaica Hospital, where he died, and that police had not made an arrest as of the next day.
Police described a wrong-way hit-and-run
The Daily News, citing police, reported that Antonio Smith-Ortiz was riding a gas-powered 2015 Honda PCX 150 moped east on 149th Avenue when a driver going the opposite direction in the eastbound lane hit him near 121st Street at about 10:05 p.m. on June 10, 2025.
Police said the driver then hit an unoccupied parked 2015 Ford Transit 350 Courier van before leaving the scene. The official record lists one person killed and no other injuries.
The rider was 25 and lived in Ozone Park
The official record identifies the person killed as a 25-year-old male driver. The Daily News identified him as Antonio Smith-Ortiz and reported that police said he lived in Ozone Park.
Medics took Smith-Ortiz to Jamaica Hospital, where he died, according to the Daily News. The paper reported that his family declined to comment the next day.
Records and police accounts differ on vehicle labels
The Daily News described Smith-Ortiz as riding a gas-powered 2015 Honda PCX 150 moped. The official record includes entries labeling the rider's vehicle as a motorcycle and, in a later vehicle entry for the same vehicle, as a moped.
The Daily News reported that the hit-and-run driver then hit an unoccupied parked Ford Transit 350 Courier van. The official record lists a parked 2015 Ford sport utility or station-wagon-type vehicle, while also listing another westbound vehicle with improper passing or lane usage noted.
The official factor points to lane use
The official crash record lists improper passing or lane usage as the contributing factor. The Daily News account adds that police said the driver was traveling against traffic in the eastbound lane before hitting Smith-Ortiz.
The crash happened on 149th Avenue at 121st Street
The official record places the crash at 149th Avenue and 121st Street in Queens. CrashCountNYC location data for 121st Street in Queens shows 231 crashes, 137 injuries, 8 serious injuries and 2 deaths since 2022.
Police were still looking for the driver
The Daily News reported on June 11 that the driver had not been caught and that police had not released a vehicle description.