Sedan driver arrested after fatal Bronx scooter crash
William Cruz, 35, died after a Feb. 16 crash at Park Avenue and East 183rd Street; police said a sedan driver left the scene, and amNY reported Emilio Galvan was later arrested.
What We Know
William Cruz, 35, was fatally injured around 7:40 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2024, at Park Avenue and East 183rd Street in the Bronx. Police accounts reported by the Post, amNY and News12 said Cruz was riding south on Park Avenue and hit the driver's side of a black sedan whose driver was going east on East 183rd Street, then left the scene. Cruz was conscious and alert when responders arrived but died at St. Barnabas/SBH. amNY reported the next day that police arrested Emilio Galvan and charged him with leaving the scene and driving without insurance. The public records differ on Cruz's ride: city crash data describes a 2023 Fengyuan e-bike, while press accounts called it a gas-powered moped or scooter.
Friday night at Park Avenue and East 183rd Street
The city crash record places the fatal crash at Park Avenue and East 183rd Street in the Bronx at 7:38 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2024, and records one person killed.
Police accounts reported by the Post, amNY and News12 said William Cruz was riding south on Park Avenue and crossing East 183rd Street when he hit the driver's side of a black sedan; the driver in the sedan had been traveling east on East 183rd Street.
The intersection had a prior crash history
The crash happened at Park Avenue and East 183rd Street in the Bronx ZIP code 10458. amNY described the location as Belmont, while News12 described the area as East Tremont.
amNY reported that the intersection had seen 13 crashes and 15 injuries over the prior decade, citing NYC Crash Mapper, and noted that it is about one block from 184th Street and Webster Avenue, where a 7-year-old boy was fatally struck by an MTA bus in 2018.
Cruz died after initially surviving the scene
Press reports identified the person killed as 35-year-old William Cruz. The Post described him as of Manhattan, and amNY identified him as from Harlem.
Police told reporters that Cruz was conscious and alert when responders arrived. EMS took him to St. Barnabas Hospital, also reported as SBH Health System, where he died.
Records differ on Cruz's two-wheeler
The detailed city vehicle record describes Cruz's ride as a 2023 Fengyuan e-bike traveling south, and lists the other vehicle as a 2022 Dodge sedan traveling east.
Press accounts citing police called Cruz's ride a gas-powered moped or scooter, and described the sedan as black. The different descriptions appear in public sources for the same crash.
Police later reported an arrest
The Post and News12 initially reported that the sedan driver did not remain at the scene and that police had made no arrests. News12 said the driver was last seen turning right onto Washington Avenue.
amNY reported the next day that police arrested 25-year-old Emilio Galvan at noon Saturday and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident and driving without insurance.
City data recorded a traffic-control factor
The official crash data recorded Traffic Control Disregarded as the contributing factor for the southbound e-bike entry. News reports said the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.