A cyclist and a 77-year-old rider collide in a Brooklyn bike lane; the rider dies.
A 47-year-old cyclist collided with Thomas Martin Bakas, 77, in the Schermerhorn Street bike lane near Smith Street, reports said; the Daily News's Monday reference and publication timing indicate a September 7, 2026 crash, and Bakas later died at a hospital.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
A 47-year-old cyclist and Thomas Martin Bakas, 77, collided in the Schermerhorn Street bike lane near Smith Street. The Daily News and Brooklyn Daily Eagle said the cyclist entered the lane from between parked cars, while News12 said Bakas lost control. Reports differ on whether Bakas was riding a stand-up scooter or an e-bike; he later died at a hospital.
Reports differ on how the riders collided
The Daily News reported that the cyclist entered the two-way bike lane from between parked cars and struck Bakas. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle also described the cyclist entering from between parked vehicles, while saying Bakas collided with him as he entered the lane.
News12 gave a different account, saying Bakas lost control before the collision. The Eagle described Bakas traveling westbound and the cyclist eastbound; News12's initial report said Bakas was traveling northbound. The Daily News and Eagle reported that both riders were thrown.
The Daily News placed the crash around 2:20 p.m. Monday. News12 said it happened just before 2:30 p.m. Monday. The Daily News's Monday reference and September 9 publication timing indicate September 7, 2026; that date is inferred from the report, not stated there explicitly.
The crash was in a bike lane near Smith Street
Reports place the collision in the Schermerhorn Street bike lane near Smith Street in Downtown Brooklyn. News12 first placed it outside the Hilton Hotel near those streets and later described it as at their intersection, so the precise point varies among reports.
Accounts differ about what Bakas was riding
The Daily News described Bakas riding a stand-up e-scooter, and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle described a stand-up scooter. News12 described an e-bike with pedals. The reports do not resolve the difference. The Eagle identified the other rider's vehicle as a traditional bicycle.
Bakas worked in refrigeration and made music
News12 identified the 77-year-old as Thomas Martin Bakas. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle said he lived on Livingston Street, two blocks from the crash; the Daily News placed his home about three blocks away.
Bakas's building doorman told the Daily News that he built walk-in freezers for supermarkets. The newspaper reported that Bakas described himself on Instagram as a husband, business owner, musician, songwriter and music producer specializing in pop, rock and alternative. The doorman remembered him warmly: “He’s a nice guy.”
Bakas died after being taken to a hospital
The Daily News and Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that emergency medical workers took Bakas to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he died. Reports said the cyclist was uninjured and stayed at the scene. News12 reported that no charges had been filed, and the Eagle reported no arrests at the time of publication.