Teen Driver Dies in Belt Parkway Crash in Bensonhurst
A 16-year-old driver died and five motorists were injured on the Belt Parkway after police said he drove a Honda Odyssey at high speed, hit two other drivers, and overturned onto the service road.
What We Know
Mohammed Ayth Alkotait, a 16-year-old driver from Arizona, died after an early-morning crash on the eastbound Belt Parkway near Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst. Police told the Daily News that witnesses said he was driving a Honda Odyssey at high speed when he clipped a Kia and then hit a Hyundai before the Odyssey overturned and rolled onto the Shore Parkway service road. The city crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor and counts one motorist killed and five motorists injured. The Daily News reported that four passengers in the Odyssey had minor injuries and that the other drivers were not seriously injured.
A high-speed crash before dawn
The crash happened at about 2:05 a.m. on June 18, 2022, on the Belt Parkway. The city crash record counts one motorist killed and five motorists injured.
The Daily News, citing police, reported that witnesses said Mohammed Ayth Alkotait was driving east at a high rate of speed when he clipped a Kia and then hit a Hyundai. Police said the Honda Odyssey overturned, rolled off the highway, and came to rest on the Shore Parkway service road near Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst.
The teen driver died at the hospital
The Daily News identified the driver as Mohammed Ayth Alkotait, 16, of Arizona. Police said he was ejected from the Honda Odyssey, and EMS took him to NYU Langone-Brooklyn, where he died.
The Daily News reported that four passengers in the Odyssey were taken to the same hospital with minor injuries and were expected to recover. The report said the Kia and Hyundai drivers were not seriously injured.
The accounts describe a three-vehicle crash
The Daily News described the vehicles as a Honda Odyssey, a Kia, and a Hyundai. The city crash record lists eastbound Honda, Kia, and Hyundai drivers, with the Honda recorded as changing lanes before impact.
The public records and the news report describe the Honda differently: the Daily News called it a Honda Odyssey minivan, while the city crash record classified the Honda as a sport utility vehicle.
Speed is central in both the official record and the police account
The city crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor for the crash, and the Honda driver’s vehicle entry also lists unsafe lane changing.
Police sources told the Daily News that investigators did not believe Alkotait was wearing a seatbelt. Police were still investigating the crash when the article was published.
Where
Belt Pkwy