Hit-and-run driver fatally injures FDNY firefighter on FDR Drive
A 31-year-old motorcycle driver died on the FDR Drive early July 24, 2025, and police told the Post that a hit-and-run driver struck FDNY firefighter Matthew Goicochea after he lost control and fell near East 25th Street.
What We Know
Matthew Goicochea, a 31-year-old FDNY firefighter, died after a crash on the FDR Drive in Manhattan early July 24, 2025. The city crash record lists one motorist killed, a 2023 Yamaha motorcycle traveling north, and driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor. Police accounts reported by Patch and the Post say Goicochea was riding north when he fell from the motorcycle and a driver struck him and left the scene. The Post placed the crash near East 25th Street; Patch described it near 23rd Street. The FDNY said Goicochea joined the department in September 2022 and had received the Thomas Wylie Medal in 2024 for a Bronx fire rescue.
Police said a driver left after striking Goicochea
The city crash record lists one person killed on the FDR Drive at 3:48 a.m. on July 24, 2025: a 31-year-old male motorcycle driver.
Police told the Post that Matthew Goicochea was riding a 2023 Yamaha north on the FDR Drive approaching East 25th Street when he lost control and fell. The Post reported that another driver struck him on the pavement and drove away. Patch reported that police said Goicochea may have fallen from the motorcycle and been hit by a car; Patch placed the crash near 23rd Street.
The firefighter was identified as Matthew Goicochea
The FDNY identified the person who died as Firefighter Matthew Goicochea and said it mourned his death. The Post reported that he had been a firefighter for about three years.
The crash record lists a northbound Yamaha motorcycle
The city record lists a 2023 Yamaha motorcycle traveling north and going straight ahead before the crash, with one occupant. It also lists a second involved entry traveling north but does not provide a public vehicle type for that entry.
The record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor. Police accounts cited by both articles described a driver who did not remain at the scene, and Patch reported that no arrests had been made as of its article.
Goicochea died at Bellevue as the investigation continued
Patch reported that Goicochea was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. The Post identified the hospital as Bellevue Hospital, where it reported he succumbed to his injuries.
Both news reports said the driver who left the scene had not been caught at the time of publication. Patch reported that the investigation remained ongoing.
Where
FDR Dr