BMW driver charged after scooter rider dies in Queens collision
Police recorded a 1:16 a.m. collision at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street that killed a scooter driver, and amNewYork reported that BMW driver Jairo Ortiz faced manslaughter and drunk-driving charges.
What We Know
In Jackson Heights early Nov. 26, 2022, a man operating a motorscooter west on 37th Avenue and a BMW sedan driver heading south on 82nd Street were involved in a fatal collision. Police and press accounts identified the BMW driver as 24-year-old Jairo Ortiz; amNewYork reported that police determined he was intoxicated and that he faced vehicular manslaughter, DWI, and other charges. The scooter rider died at Elmhurst Hospital. The official record lists alcohol involvement and other vehicular factors, and records one motorist death with no other injuries.
Early-morning collision at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street
The official record places the crash at 1:16 a.m. on Nov. 26, 2022, at 37 Avenue and 82 Street in Queens. It records one death, the driver of a motorscooter, and no other injuries.
The record lists a motorscooter traveling west and a BMW sedan traveling south before the crash. The New York Post reported that the scooter operator and the BMW driver collided at the intersection; amNewYork reported that the scooter rider crashed into the back of a BMW sedan at the intersection.
A scooter rider died, and police arrested the BMW driver
Police said the scooter operator was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where he died, according to both press accounts.
Alcohol was cited in the record and in the charges
The official record lists alcohol involvement for the sedan driver and an other vehicular factor for the scooter driver. amNewYork reported that police determined Ortiz was intoxicated and charged him with driving while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter.
37th Avenue has a documented crash burden
The crash happened at 37th Avenue and 82nd Street in Queens; news reports identified the location as Jackson Heights.
CrashCountNYC’s street context for 37th Avenue in Queens counts 1,173 crashes, 670 injuries, 55 serious injuries and 6 deaths since 2022.
Local officials linked the death to traffic violence
amNewYork reported that Councilmember Shekar Krishnan lamented the death on Thanksgiving weekend, and State Senator Jessica Ramos urged residents not to drink and drive.