E-bike crashes kill teen in NYC and man in Huntington Beach, underscoring rising fatalities

A 17-year-old rider was killed on July 29 after his illegal Deepower e-moto with a 1,500‑watt motor collided with a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV on Centre Street near NYPD Headquarters in Manhattan. Police said the teen had just crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and sustained fatal head injuries; the driver remained at the scene and no arrests were made.

In a separate incident, 21‑year‑old Jeffrey James Marlow of Westminster, California, died on July 26 following a single‑vehicle crash of his electric bicycle at the intersection of Warner Avenue and Plaza Lane in Huntington Beach. He was found unconscious on the sidewalk and succumbed to injuries after five days in the hospital. Authorities have not determined whether impairment contributed.

Both deaths add to a steep increase in e‑bike and e‑motorcycle injuries across the United States, with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office reporting a 430% surge in such incidents over recent years and New York City seeing a significant rise in motorized‑vehicle fatalities.