Cyclist Killed In East Harlem Dump Truck Hit-And-Run, Police Say

EAST HARLEM, NY — A cyclist died after being struck by a dump-truck that fled the scene of the collision near East Harlem's Willis Avenue Bridge, an NYPD spokesperson said.

The 25-year-old cyclist was struck Saturday morning around 2:30 while riding in the Willis Avenue Bridge bike lane from the Bronx into Harlem, police said. The driver of a Kenworth truck was making an illegal left turn onto East 125th Street in an attempt to enter the bridge when they hit the cyclist, police said.

Following the collision, the dump truck did not stop and continued onto the Willis Avenue Bridge, police said. The driver has not been caught and the investigation is ongoing, an NYPD spokesperson said.

Medics rushed the cyclist to Harlem Hospital where he was pronounced dead, said police. The man is the 28th bicyclist to be killed in New York City this year. A rise in cyclist deaths — there were just 10 in 2018 — led New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to launch a $58.4 million plan to install more than 80 miles of bike lanes to city streets by the end of 2021.

The cyclist was identified as 25-year-old Bronx resident Matt Travis, CBS2 News first reported. Travis, an aspiring professional wrestler, was riding his bike during the early morning hours to train for an upcoming match, family members told the news station.

"His whole thing was wrestling, like that was his main focus, and his goal was to get his mom and family out of the Bronx," Travis' cousin told CBS2 News.