Teen Driver Arrested In LIC Bridge Crash That Killed Cyclist: Police

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — A teenage driver has been arrested months after he crashed his car into an e-bike rider on a Long Island City bridge, killing him, according to police.

Josh Fitzpatrick, a 19-year-old New Jersey resident, has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, speeding and failing to obey a traffic signal in connection with the Oct. 11 crash.

According to police, Fitzpatrick was driving his Chevrolet pickup truck south on the Honeywell Street Bridge just before 7:30 a.m., when he collided with 32-year-old Thomas Panto, who was riding his e-bike north along the same bridge.

Panto had been riding within the bike lane, but Fitzpatrick veered into oncoming traffic near the intersection of Northern Boulevard, causing the collision, according to the Daily News.

Panto was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An Elmhurst resident, he had immigrated from Guatemala around four years earlier to provide for his family, and was heading home from work at the time of the crash a roommate told the Daily News.

Fitzpatrick, who was 18 at the time, remained at the scene and was not initially charged, according to police.

News of Panto's death comes less than a week after police announced charges against 73-year-old Panagiota Arvanitopoulos, the driver accused of fatally striking Astoria resident Karina Larino as she crossed a street near Astoria Park in May.

In response to Panto's death, Danny Harris, executive director of the street safety organization Transportation Alternatives, criticized the mayor for scaling back on lifesaving infrastructure — like protected bike lanes — despite his plan to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2024.

The street where Panto was killed, for instance, used to have a bike lane with flex-posts, but the city removed the bike lane's barriers a year later after they were destroyed by drivers, Streetsblog reported.

"At best, painted bike lanes are useless, but at worst, they are a reckless invitation from the City of New York to its residents, inviting New Yorkers to ride a bike while failing to adequately protect them," said Harris, pointing out that Google Maps images show a dumpster parked in the bike lane where Panto was killed.

Related coverage: E-Bike Rider Killed By Teen Pickup Truck Driver, Police Say

Kayla Levy contributed reporting.