Driver Charged After Passenger Killed on Rockaway Boardwalk
Police said Raytawon Wright was the driver who fled on foot after a 3:04 p.m. motorcycle crash at the Boardwalk and Beach 47 Street left his passenger, 26-year-old David Molina, dead.
What We Know
On Aug. 29, 2022, police later identified Raytawon Wright as the driver in a Qipai Hunier dirt bike crash on the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk near Beach 47 Street. Police said Wright lost control, hit a bench and a 55-year-old rollerblader, and fled on foot. His passenger, David Molina, 26, was thrown to the boardwalk, hit his head and died; medics took the rollerblader to Jamaica Hospital with minor head injuries. The official record lists the crash at 3:04 p.m. and cites driver inattention/distraction. Daily News reported that motorized transportation was prohibited on the boardwalk. Patch later reported that Wright, 26, of Crown Heights, was arrested on manslaughter, assault, leaving-the-scene, reckless-driving and other charges.
Police said the driver lost control and ran off
The official record lists a 3:04 p.m. crash involving a westbound motorcycle at the Boardwalk and Beach 47 Street, with one person killed and one person injured. Police told reporters that the driver was riding on the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk with a passenger when he lost control, hit a bench and a 55-year-old rollerblader, and then fled on foot.
Police later identified the driver as Raytawon Wright. Patch reported that the crash caused passenger David Molina, 26, to be ejected and thrown to the ground, where EMS pronounced him dead.
A prohibited ride on the Rockaway boardwalk
The official record places the crash at the Boardwalk and Beach 47 Street in Queens. Daily News initially described the rollerblader as near Beach 49 Street, while its follow-up report and Patch placed the crash near Beach 47 Street.
Daily News reported that motorized transportation of any kind was prohibited on the boardwalk.
David Molina was remembered by family
The official record identifies the person killed as a 26-year-old male passenger. Daily News and Patch identified him as David Molina, 26, of Cedarhurst.
Daily News reported that Molina had told his mother, Lily Molina, that he was going to Brooklyn for a job interview. “He told me that he was going to go to an interview,” she told the paper.
Wright later faced criminal charges
Patch reported that Raytawon Wright, 26, of Crown Heights, was arrested and faced manslaughter, assault, leaving-the-scene, reckless-driving and other charges after the fatal crash.
Police said the 55-year-old rollerblader suffered minor head injuries and was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.
Investigators cited driver inattention
The official crash record lists driver inattention/distraction as a contributing factor. Police accounts cited by Daily News and Patch said the driver lost control while riding the dirt bike on the boardwalk.