E-bike rider dies after Amsterdam Avenue crash in Washington Heights
A 49-year-old e-bike rider was killed at Amsterdam Avenue and West 181st Street, where police told the Daily News that Dayanara Deschamps Betances hit a curb and was ejected.
What We Know
Dayanara Deschamps Betances was riding an e-bike north on Amsterdam Avenue at West 181st Street around 3:19 a.m. on May 2, 2026. The official crash record lists one cyclist killed and no other injuries. The Daily News, citing police, reported that Betances hit a curb while riding with a 75-year-old passenger seated behind her; both were ejected onto the sidewalk. EMS took Betances to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she died. The official record lists the e-bike as going straight ahead and cites following too closely and reaction to an uninvolved vehicle as contributing factors.
Police described a curb impact before the fatal fall
Police told the Daily News that Dayanara Deschamps Betances was riding north on Amsterdam Avenue with a 75-year-old passenger behind her when she hit a curb near West 181st Street. The paper reported that both people were ejected from the e-bike and landed on the sidewalk.
The rider died; her passenger was not hurt
The official record lists one cyclist killed and no other injuries. The Daily News identified the rider as 49-year-old Dayanara Deschamps Betances and reported that EMS took her to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she died. The passenger, described by police as a 75-year-old man, did not sustain injuries, the paper reported.
Amsterdam Avenue has seen repeated serious harm
The crash happened at Amsterdam Avenue and West 181st Street in Washington Heights. CrashCountNYC location context for Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan counted 2,226 crashes, 1,161 injuries, 86 serious injuries and 7 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
The collision remained under investigation
The Daily News reported that the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad was investigating the collision.