SUV Driver and Teen E-Moto Rider Collide; Teen Dies on Centre Street
Summer Work
A 40-year-old woman driving a 2008 Chevy Tahoe and 17-year-old Gabriel Nacato, whose sister said he was headed to get help with summer job applications, collided on Centre Street near Chambers Street, and Nacato died at the scene.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
Police and news reports place the crash just before 9 a.m. at Centre and Chambers streets, near City Hall, where Gabriel Nacato was riding a Deepower e-moto and a 40-year-old woman was driving a 2008 Chevy Tahoe in the same direction. Nacato died at the scene, and the driver remained there. Streetsblog later reported that police were still sorting whether a driver hit Nacato or whether Nacato hit the back of a car. His sister told the Daily News he was heading to Chinatown for help with summer job applications. Afterward, officials and advocates focused on the sale of high-powered e-motos like the Deepower model involved in the crash.
The morning crash near City Hall
Police told reporters that Nacato and the Tahoe driver were traveling north on Centre Street near Chambers Street at about 8:55 a.m. when they collided. Nacato was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver remained there while police continued the investigation.
A nearby worker, Sonia Ariza, told the Daily News she heard a "hard, loud bang" and saw people trying to help the injured teenager. "He had his Jordans on, and I was like, 'He was a kid! He was 17! He was a baby!'" Ariza said.
A narrow approach from the Brooklyn Bridge into Civic Center
The crash happened at Centre and Chambers streets, steps from City Hall and the Municipal Building, near the point where people come off the Brooklyn Bridge into Lower Manhattan.
Gothamist described the intersection as the first one cyclists and drivers reach coming off the Brooklyn Bridge and the site of a major street-safety project meant to calm traffic and protect cyclists. Streetsblog reported that the Centre Street segment north of Chambers is exceptionally narrow and often further constrained by parked cars.
A Brooklyn teenager and a driver who stayed at the scene
Nacato lived in Bensonhurst, attended 11th grade at Manhattan International School and was preparing for his senior year, his sister Fernanda Nacato told the Daily News. She said he was on his way to Chinatown to meet job counselors when he died. "He was a funny extrovert. He was always very social and he was very kind," she said.
Police identified the Tahoe driver as a 40-year-old woman who remained at the crash site. FOX5 reported that she was taken to a hospital for a possible panic attack, and no arrests had been made.
The Deepower e-moto drew scrutiny after the crash
Reports agreed that the Deepower model involved could reach 30 mph, but they differed on its motor power: the Daily News cited police describing a 960-watt motor, while Streetsblog reported officials and company materials describing a 1,500-watt motor. Streetsblog also reported that Deepower changed its website after the crash from a 1,500-watt, 30 mph listing to a 250-watt, 20 mph listing.
Transportation Alternatives and elected officials urged state action against online sales of high-speed e-motos. Streetsblog reported that Attorney General Letitia James planned a consumer alert after Nacato's death; Ben Furnas of Transportation Alternatives said, "No one should be able to buy an illegal high-speed device on the internet and have it shipped to New York."