Hit-and-run driver kills moped rider in South Ozone Park
A hit-and-run driver going against traffic hit Antonio Smith-Ortiz, 25, as he rode east on 149th Avenue near 121st Street at about 10:04 p.m.; the official record lists one motorist killed.
What We Know
Antonio Smith-Ortiz, 25, was riding a gas-powered 2015 Honda PCX 150 moped east on 149th Avenue near 121st Street at about 10:04 p.m. on June 10, 2025, when police said a hit-and-run driver going against traffic in the eastbound lane hit him. The official crash record lists one motorist killed and cites improper passing or lane use as a contributing factor. The Daily News reported that the driver then hit an unoccupied parked 2015 Ford Transit 350 Courier van and left the scene. Medics took Smith-Ortiz to Jamaica Hospital, where he died. The public sources differ in vehicle wording: the official crash summary lists a motorcycle, while a later vehicle entry and the article describe the rider’s vehicle as a moped.
Police said the driver was going against traffic
Police told the Daily News that Antonio Smith-Ortiz was riding east on 149th Avenue in South Ozone Park when a driver traveling the opposite direction in the eastbound lane hit him near 121st Street at about 10:05 p.m. The official crash record places the crash at 10:04 p.m. and records one motorist killed.
After hitting Smith-Ortiz, police said, the driver hit an unoccupied parked 2015 Ford Transit 350 Courier van and left the scene.
Antonio Smith-Ortiz was taken to Jamaica Hospital
The Daily News identified the rider as Antonio Smith-Ortiz, 25, of Ozone Park. Medics took him to Jamaica Hospital, where he died. The official record identifies the person killed as a 25-year-old male driver or occupant.
The Daily News reported that Smith-Ortiz’s family declined to comment the day after the crash.
Records differ on the rider’s vehicle wording
The Daily News described Smith-Ortiz’s vehicle as a gas-powered 2015 Honda PCX 150 moped. The official crash summary lists a motorcycle and a station wagon or sport utility vehicle, while a later official vehicle entry describes the rider’s vehicle as a moped.
Police had not developed a description of the hit-and-run driver’s vehicle as of the Daily News report.
Wrong-way travel and lane use are central in the public record
Police said the hit-and-run driver was going against traffic in the eastbound lane before hitting Smith-Ortiz. The official crash record cites improper passing or lane use as a contributing factor.
Police were still looking for the driver
The Daily News reported on June 11 that the driver had not been caught.
Where
149th Ave & 121st St, Queens