Moped Driver Dies After Bronx Zoo-Area Crash
Christopher Vatran, 27, was killed around 12:15 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2023, after police said he failed to navigate a curve on Southern Boulevard near the Bronx River Parkway and hit a concrete barrier.
What We Know
Christopher Vatran was driving east on Southern Boulevard near the Bronx River Parkway shortly after midnight on Sept. 17, 2023. Police told local news outlets that he failed to navigate a curve, hit a concrete barrier on the south side of the roadway, and was ejected. EMS took him to Jacobi, where he was pronounced dead. The city crash record lists one motorist killed and cites unsafe speed for the crash; its moped entry also lists alcohol involvement and unsafe speed. Police said no arrests had been made and the Highway District Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.
Police said the driver lost control on a curve
Police told local news outlets that Christopher Vatran was driving a 2023 Jiaju gas-powered moped east on Southern Boulevard when he failed to navigate a curve near the Bronx River Parkway. He hit a concrete barrier on the south side of the roadway and was ejected.
EMS took Vatran to NYC Health and Hospitals/Jacobi, where he was pronounced dead. The city crash record lists one motorist killed and no reported injuries.
A deadly crash on Southern Boulevard
The crash was recorded at Southern Boulevard and the Bronx River Parkway in the Bronx, near the Bronx Zoo area described in local coverage.
CrashCountNYC’s location review for Southern Boulevard in the Bronx found 1,329 crashes, 920 injuries, 70 serious injuries and 8 deaths from 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Records cite speed and alcohol involvement
The city crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor for the crash. For the moped driver’s vehicle, the city record lists alcohol involvement and unsafe speed.
Local coverage attributed the account to NYPD investigators, who said Vatran lost control after failing to navigate the curve.
The Highway District investigation continued
Both local reports said no arrests had been made. Police said the NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.