Teen Driver Charged After 16-Year-Old E-Bike Rider Dies in Astoria
At 9:35 p.m. on April 10, 2023, at 21st Street and 21st Avenue in Astoria, a 16-year-old e-bike rider was killed, and prosecutors said 18-year-old Yaser Ibrahim later admitted driving the BMW at 45 to 50 mph before leaving the scene.
What We Know
Jaydan McLaurin, 16, was riding an electric Citi Bike near 21st Street and 21st Avenue in Astoria when a driver in a BMW hit him on April 10, 2023. City crash data records one cyclist killed and lists failure to yield right-of-way as a contributing factor. Prosecutors said Yaser Ibrahim, 18, of Levittown, later admitted he had been driving about 45 to 50 mph on 21st Street, where the posted limit was 25 mph, and left after stopping and seeing debris. Ibrahim was arraigned on a charge of leaving the scene of a fatal incident without reporting it and was also issued violations related to licensing, insurance, speeding and tinted windows.
A 16-year-old rider died after the Astoria crash
The city crash record places the crash at 9:35 p.m. on April 10, 2023, at 21st Street and 21st Avenue in Queens and records one cyclist killed. QNS, citing police, reported that Jaydan McLaurin was riding a Citi Bike e-bike and was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, where he was pronounced dead.
Police and prosecutors described the timing slightly differently: one QNS report said officers responded just after 9:30 p.m., while another, citing the charges, placed the crash at approximately 9:45 p.m.
The crash happened on a heavily traveled Queens corridor
The crash occurred at 21st Street and 21st Avenue in Queens. CrashCountNYC's location context for 21st Street in Queens records 689 crashes, 433 injuries, 26 serious injuries and 1 death from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Police identified the driver and the BMW after the crash
The official record lists a 2022 BMW SUV traveling south before the crash and an e-bike as the other vehicle. QNS reported that the driver in a 2022 BMW X7 was traveling southbound on 21st Street and did not stop, and that police later found the BMW unoccupied at 23rd Street and 22nd Drive.
Prosecutors identified the driver as Yaser Ibrahim, 18, of Levittown. According to QNS, prosecutors said Ibrahim told investigators he stopped, saw debris from the Citi Bike, got nervous and left the scene.
Prosecutors cited speed and licensing violations
The city crash record lists failure to yield right-of-way as a contributing factor. QNS reported that prosecutors said Ibrahim admitted driving about 45 to 50 mph when he hit McLaurin on 21st Street, where the posted speed limit was 25 mph.
The official record lists the BMW driver's license status as a permit. QNS reported that prosecutors said Ibrahim could not produce a valid driver's license or insurance and had only a learner's permit.
Ibrahim was charged in Queens Criminal Court
QNS reported that Ibrahim was arraigned on April 12 on a charge of leaving the scene of a fatal incident without reporting it. Prosecutors also issued violations for driving without a license or insurance, speeding and having tinted windows, and said he faced up to seven years in prison if convicted.