Man Dies After Crashing Dirt Bike Into Parked Car In Wash Heights

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Luis Zapata, 24, was riding a Yamaha dirt bike on Amsterdam Avenue and West 190th Street at the end of September when he crashed into a parked and unoccupied Jeep SUV, the New York Police Department announced Tuesday night.

The crash happened on Sept. 28, just before 9 p.m., police said.

Zapata, a Brooklyn resident, suffered severe trauma to his head, and was transferred to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The investigation into what caused the crash remains ongoing by the NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad.

Dirt bikes have remained a major issue in Washington Heights and Inwood.

In May 2021, the upper hierarchy of the New York Police Department visited Upper Manhattan to discuss new strategies to get illegal dirt bikes and ATVs off the streets.

At the time, the NYPD announced it was offering a $100 bounty for tips that help officers track down and confiscate the nuisance vehicles.

• NYPD Reveals New Strategy In Wash Heights To Combat Dirt Bikes

In the same month, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer penned a letter pushing Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea to do something about the illegal operation of motorized bikes, ATVs, and street racing that has seen a spike since the beginning of the pandemic.

• Borough President To Mayor: Do Something About The ATVs, Bikes

More recently in September, de Blasio oversaw an event where NYPD bulldozers in Staten Island ran over and smashed a row of confiscated dirt bikes and ATVs.

"I want to be very clear to anyone out there who has an illegal dirt bike: don't even think about it, because the NYPD will find it and will crush it," the mayor said. "It's as simple as that. We're not playing games."

Read More:

• Video: NYPD Crushes Illegal Dirt Bikes After Wave Of Busts