Moped rider killed in Cross Bronx Expressway crash
On Dec. 4, 2023, an 18-year-old rider was killed in a Cross Bronx Expressway crash involving a motorcycle, SUV, tractor-trailer and sedan; police told reporters he was dragged about a half-mile before he was found.
What We Know
An 18-year-old rider was killed Monday morning on the eastbound Cross Bronx Expressway. City crash records classify his vehicle as a motorcycle and list the crash at 9:14 a.m.; police accounts in news reports described him as riding a moped or scooter near Jerome Avenue around 9:20 a.m. Police told reporters that after an initial collision involving a black Honda minivan, a tractor-trailer driver and a Dodge driver were also involved, and the rider was dragged about a half-mile before he was found near East 175th Street and Webster Avenue. News outlets identified him with the same surnames in different order: Joseph Anthony Ruiz and Anthony Joseph Ruiz.
Police described a chain collision on the expressway
The city crash record places the fatal crash on the Cross Bronx Expressway at 9:14 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2023, with one motorist killed and no other injuries recorded. Police accounts cited by Fox 5 said the rider was traveling east near Jerome Avenue when he collided with the rear left corner of a black Honda minivan, made contact with a tractor-trailer, fell to the roadway, and was later dragged about a half-mile before being found near East 175th Street and Webster Avenue.
Fox 5 reported that the woman driving the Honda stayed at the scene, while police said the tractor-trailer driver and Dodge driver left. News 12 similarly reported that a black minivan remained and that the tractor-trailer driver and another driver did not.
The rider was 18, and news reports differed on his name order
The official record identifies the person killed as an 18-year-old male driver and occupant of the motorcycle. Fox 5 identified him as Joseph Anthony Ruiz and reported that he lived on 214th Street in Williamsbridge. News 12 identified him as Anthony Joseph Ruiz, an 18-year-old Bronx resident.
Records and reports describe four eastbound vehicles
The city record lists a 2022 Jiangsu Baodiao motorcycle, a 2014 Honda SUV, a 2016 Freightliner diesel tractor-truck and a 2008 Dodge sedan, all traveling east. News reports described the rider as using a moped or scooter, the Honda as a black minivan, and the other driver who left as operating a red sedan or Dodge Charger.
The crash investigation spanned the Cross Bronx and Webster Avenue
The official record places the crash on the Cross Bronx Expressway in the Bronx. News reports tied the expressway collision to the area near Jerome Avenue and said the rider was found near East 175th Street and Webster Avenue after being dragged from the highway. The Daily News reported that police set up two scenes and closed the eastbound Cross Bronx Expressway during the investigation.
Police reported no arrests in the initial accounts
Fox 5 reported that EMS pronounced the rider dead at the scene after severe head and body trauma. Fox 5 also reported that there had been no arrests and that the investigation was continuing.