Two motorcyclists were killed in separate traffic collisions in Manhattan and the Bronx on Friday night, police say.
Just after 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, police responded to a crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway near West 112th Street in Morningside Heights, finding 55-year-old Gregory Ahrens, of West 75th Street on the Upper West Side, in the center lane of the highway’s southbound side. He was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police say Ahrens was riding a Honda motorcycle northbound on the Henry Hudson when he attempted to merge lanes, at which point he collided with the rear of a Lexus SUV. The collision caused Ahrens to be ejected from his bike and fly over the median, landing on the southbound side. The 61-year-old SUV driver remained on the scene.
A few hours later, just before midnight, police got a 911 call for a similar crash, this time on the Bruckner Expressway in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx.
Cops say 38-year-old Gertian Durakaj, of Morris Park, was riding a BMW motorcycle northbound on the Bruckner when he collided with the rear of a Honda SUV, causing both vehicles to crash into a retaining wall.
Durakaj was pronounced dead at the scene. The 43-year-old SUV driver was taken to Jacobi Hospital in stable condition.
As of last week, traffic collisions have claimed the lives of 200 people on city streets so far in 2023, according to the NYPD. That’s about 5% fewer deaths than were seen at the same time last year.
