Unlicensed Moped Rider Charged After Sunset Park Fatality
An allegedly unlicensed moped rider, Abed Abed, hit 82-year-old Efrain Barreto near Fifth Avenue and 60th Street on June 3, 2024, according to Brooklyn Paper; the official record lists one pedestrian killed and one motorist injured.
What We Know
At 4:53 p.m. on June 3, 2024, the city recorded a crash at Fifth Avenue and 60th Street in Brooklyn that killed an 82-year-old pedestrian and injured one motorist. Brooklyn Paper, citing NYPD investigators, identified the pedestrian as Efrain Barreto and the rider as 32-year-old Abed Abed, and reported that Abed was riding north on Fifth Avenue when, after passing through 60th Street, he hit Barreto as Barreto crossed mid-block. Barreto was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn and died June 6. Abed remained at the scene and was arrested that evening on motor-vehicle charges; Barreto’s daughter later told Community Board 7 she wanted prosecutors to pursue manslaughter.
A mid-block crossing on Fifth Avenue
The official record places the crash at 4:53 p.m. at Fifth Avenue and 60th Street. Police investigators told Brooklyn Paper that Abed Abed, 32, rode a 2023 gas-powered Jiajue 150 moped north on Fifth Avenue, passed through 60th Street and hit Efrain Barreto about 19 feet north of the intersection as Barreto crossed from the east sidewalk to the west sidewalk.
A Sunset Park corridor with repeated harm
The crash happened near Fifth Avenue and 60th Street in Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC’s location context identifies Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn as a corridor with 1,330 crashes, 883 injuries, 32 serious injuries and 6 deaths from 2022 through June 1, 2026.
A longtime Sunset Park resident died three days later
Brooklyn Paper identified the pedestrian as 82-year-old Efrain Barreto and reported that EMS took him to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in critical condition. Barreto died there on June 6.
Barreto’s daughter, Vivian Barreto, told Community Board 7 that her father had lived in Sunset Park since 1967 after coming from Puerto Rico. She said he helped migrants and immigrants and was a humble man.
The rider was charged with license and registration offenses
The city vehicle record lists one northbound 2023 JIAJUE motorcycle with one occupant and a male driver whose New York license status was listed as unlicensed. Brooklyn Paper described Abed as riding a 2023 gas-powered Jiajue 150 moped.
Brooklyn Paper reported that Abed remained at the scene and was arrested later that evening. The listed charges included aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, operating without insurance, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and operating out of class.
Family members challenged the legal response
For the fatal pedestrian, the official record lists traffic-control disregard and failure to yield as contributing factors. Brooklyn Paper reported that law-enforcement sources said security footage allegedly showed Abed trying to brake and that he was not seen driving recklessly beforehand.
Vivian Barreto told Community Board 7, “It is not okay that this guy is out on a misdemeanor,” and asked for manslaughter to be added. Brooklyn Paper reported that the district attorney’s office declined to comment on calls for additional charges.