E-bike rider fatally hit pedestrian on Franklin Street
A rider on a southbound e-bike fatally hit 49-year-old pedestrian Luis Cruz near Franklin and India streets around 7:41 p.m. on March 21, 2025, and a witness told Gothamist the rider ran a stop sign while rushing to deliver food.
What We Know
Luis Cruz, 49, was killed Friday night in Greenpoint after a rider on an e-bike hit him near Franklin and India streets. The city crash record places the crash at 7:41 p.m. and lists the pedestrian as crossing away from an intersection or crosswalk; Brooklyn Paper, citing police, said Cruz was crossing midblock between India and Java streets. Gothamist reported a neighborhood witness account that Cruz had just left a double-parked car and that the rider ran a stop sign while rushing to deliver food. Police told reporters the 26-year-old rider remained at the scene, and early reports said no arrests or charges had been filed while the investigation continued.
Different accounts described where Cruz was before impact
The city crash record says a southbound rider on a Zooz e-bike was going straight on Franklin Street at India Street at 7:41 p.m. when a 49-year-old male pedestrian was killed. The record lists the pedestrian action as crossing without a signal or crosswalk and away from an intersection.
Police identified the pedestrian as Luis Cruz. Brooklyn Paper, citing police, reported that Cruz was crossing Franklin Street midblock between India and Java streets when a 26-year-old e-bike rider hit him. Gothamist reported a witness account that Cruz was double parked and getting out of his car when the rider ran a stop sign while rushing to deliver food.
Cruz died after suffering severe head trauma
Brooklyn Paper and News 12 reported that Cruz suffered severe head trauma. Emergency responders took him to Bellevue Hospital, where he later died.
News 12 reported that a memorial of flowers and a note was placed near the spot where Cruz was hit. The unsigned note described Cruz as a father who “embodied the true spirit of the American Dream.”
The rider stayed, and police filed no charges in early reports
Police told reporters the 26-year-old e-bike rider stopped and remained at the scene. Brooklyn Paper reported no arrests as of the following Monday afternoon; News 12 reported that no charges had been filed and that authorities did not suspect criminality while the investigation continued.
Franklin Street had a history of injuries before this death
The fatal crash happened at Franklin Street and India Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC’s location review for Franklin Street in Brooklyn counted 157 crashes, 94 injuries, 6 serious injuries and 1 death from 2022 through June 1, 2026.