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Teenager killed riding bike on Centre and Chambers this morning
A 17-year-old boy riding an e-bike on Centre and Chambers collided with a car this morning and was killed in the collision, police reported.
The teen was riding northbound on Centre near the intersection with Chambers as was the car — they were headed in the same direction. The teen was at some point in the bike lane, but not when he collided with the car. Police received the 911 call at 8:56a and responded immediately; EMS responded and the victim was deceased at the scene.
UPDATE from the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad: the 17-year-old was operating a Deepower QS7 electric bicycle northbound on Centre Street when he exited the protected bike lane at Chambers Street to merge into northbound vehicle traffic. He then struck the driver’s side door of a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe, operated by a 40-year-old female, that was also traveling northbound on Centre Street. The operator of the electric bicycle fell to the roadway, struck his head, and was pronounced deceased on scene by EMS.
The woman driving the Tahoe remained at the scene, police said. The teen’s identification was not released pending notification of the family.
The investigation is ongoing by the NYPD’s Highway District Collision Investigations Squad.
That intersection is harrowing for bikes, since you have cars making the left onto Chambers from the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as bikes coming south from Lafayette — it’s a two-way bike lane at that point. The turn at Reade is no less challenging, since you then also have pedestrians crossing Reade as well as cars turning left and southbound bikes coming at you.
In a statement after the teen’s death, Councilman Christ Marte called on the Department of Transportation to redesign that intersection and implement an east-west bike lane along Chambers Street. Marte’s office said the bike was a Class 3 e-bike, which can go up to 25 miles per hour and often has a throttle, unlike Citi Bike e-bikes, which are pedal assist only. See the city’s classification chart here.
In a story yesterday, Gothamist said that kind of bike is not legal on NYC streets, but the NYPD did not tell me that…
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If they’re going to be redesigning that intersection, why don’t they get bikes out of the City Hall Path by Warren Street, which is jammed with pedestrians and has bikes and E bikes going both ways through it. You’d have to find a way to make it difficult for bikes to enter– I can think of appropriate designs – but that path is absurd and has been since the day they decided to allow it .
…and while you are at it ban SUVs for everyone except farmers and contractors.
You’re absolutely right, Anna Stern. That walkway behind City Hall between Broadway and the bridge has become treacherous. That will be the site of the next tragedy if we’re not careful.
A tragedy.
It is my understanding that the teenager was riding an “illegal” ebike – capable of fast speed.
On the bus recently and saw from the window a man on an ebike trying to go around cars which were very slow, almost crawling, due to congestion.
Then the man fell.
Fortunately as cars were just crawling, he was not hit.
He managed to get up and pick-up his ebike and continued on
There have been recent incidents involving e-bikes in Central Park – 2 pedestrians hit by e-bikes.
Everyday I witness electric scooters/e-bikes/bikes on the sidewalk at full speed. And most riders do not stop at red lights. I remember you are supposed to dismount and walk your bike on the sidewalk which is for pedestrians, what happened to that?
The only people that still follow traffic rules are drivers of cars, most of the time anyway.
Where are the NYC Police to monitor and give fines? NYC made $5.1M in 2024 from the Citi Bike program multiply by 13 years in NYC.
What happened to responsible driving? Bicycles and e-bikes are vehicles, and their operators are drivers – not pedestrians on a two-wheeler.
I find the Church Street bike lane hazardous. Anyone crossing Church should look both ways, as some delivery bikers don’t seem to acknowledge a “one way” street.
Whose idea was it to move the parking lane further into the traffic lanes, removing the relative protection that parked cars provided for those beginning to cross the street? Does this design make anyone safer?
BTW, the West Broadway bike lane between Thomas and Chambers Streets isn’t so great, either.
This isn’t going to stop until police start ticketing bikers for riding on sidewalks, ignoring traffic lights and going the wrong way in bike lanes. But the probability of that happening? Zero. I often see groups of 6-8 bike riders on bikes from the rental shop on Chambers riding on the sidewalk.
No chance of this happening under Mamdani. In fact, he recently rescinded all criminal enforcement of bike violations:
https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/mayor-mamdani-announces-end-to-criminal-enforcement-for-minor-tr
His rationale? Most bike/e-bike riders are “non-white” delivery personnel, and thus targeting them goes against the racial equity initiatives they’ve been trying to institute within the criminal justice system. So, knowing that there is essentially zero penalty for violations, many bikers have been completely disregarding the rules, including driving at high speeds on the sidewalks.
This is what NYers voted for, so this is what they’re going to get.
👍
Following the same rationale, there is zero chance to get rid of the the Senegalese and Chinese ‘asylum seekers’ counterfeit goods peddlers plaguing our sidewalks and ruining our quality of life. Case closed.
In my family’s experience it is the 20-30 Citibikers and racing guys (not delivery workers) who endanger pedestrians- they go through red lights, the wrong way, look at phones.
Also around City Hall, lots of Pace students and tourists who don’t know what they are doing,
Wish they would walk and use bus and subway.
Very sad.
As a pedestrian, bus-subway rider and a parent, am very concerned about the proliferation of bicycling (particularly Citibike and racing bikes) and that the City of NY keeps encouraging biking – though clearly we have a core bus and subway system.
(BTW biking does not reduce car use – biking siphons from bus-subway)
There are many more teens on Citibike and other e-bikes. have never seen any with helmets and not uncommon to see teens doubled up.
It should be noted that students get free OMNY cards from school which can be used all year.
The City of NY should be ensuring teens get OMNY cards and use bus-subway – not bikes.
Traffic accidents, especially those involving fatalities are horrible, but you’ve got to scratch your head when there’s an accident involving an e-bike and the rider is not wearing helmet, the bike is not only illegal (due to top end mph) but is also unlicensed, the rider is speeding and has the bike either in traffic or on the sidewalk…and the reaction is “we must redesign to make it safer.” I agree with everyone who stated it above. It’s simply about enforcement of rules and regulations already in place. A violation is a violation, no matter who the rider is. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?