6-year-old boy critically injured by hit-and-run moped in NYC park
A 6-year-old boy was left fighting for his life Sunday after a moped-like vehicle struck him in an East Harlem park before fleeing the scene, according to police.
The child was hit inside Thomas Jefferson Park around 6:30 p.m. and rushed to Harlem Hospital in critical condition, authorities said.
He suffered severe head trauma.
The operator of the “two-wheel motorized vehicle” was last spotted making off northbound in the park toward East 114th Street and Pleasant Avenue, the NYPD said.
It’s not clear what the exact vehicle was, but police said it was similar to a moped.
The alleged hit-and-run crash happened just two days before the city is set to lift a ban on e-bikes and scooters in its parks as part of a yearlong pilot program.
The pilot — which does not include “faster, heavier mopeds” that require a driver’s license to operate in the list of approved electric vehicles — will allow e-bikes and scooters under 100 pounds to drive along park drives and greenways inside city parks.
Such vehicles will not be permitted on pedestrian paths through parks, however.
The Parks Department said it will continue to maintain its rules against reckless behavior once the pilot begins.
“No person shall operate a bicycle, motor vehicle, or similar vehicle in a manner that endangers any other person or property,” the department said in a release.
The pilot begins Tuesday and will run through May 31, 2024.
