Driver Charged After Fatal Gramercy Crash Injures Four
Prosecutors accused Mahbub Ali of driving drunk and speeding before hitting Abdulhekim Esiyok at Third Avenue and East 21st Street, where the official record says one bicyclist died and four people were injured.
What We Know
Police and prosecutors said Mahbub Ali, 26, was driving a Hyundai sedan north on Third Avenue in Gramercy on June 4, 2023, when he hit Abdulhekim Esiyok near East 21st Street and injured four other people. The official record places the crash at 7:28 p.m. and lists the person who died as a 23-year-old male bicyclist; press accounts later identified Esiyok but differed on whether he was walking in the crosswalk or riding a bicycle, and one later report gave his age as 22. The official record cites alcohol involvement, and prosecutors alleged Ali had been drinking during the day before driving. He was charged and later indicted on vehicular homicide, manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment and DWI-related counts.
A Sunday evening crash in Gramercy
The official record places the crash at 7:28 p.m. on June 4, 2023, at Third Avenue and East 21st Street in Manhattan. It records one person killed and four injured, including two pedestrians, one cyclist and one motorist.
Police and prosecutors identified the driver as Mahbub Ali, 26, and said he was driving a Hyundai Sonata north on Third Avenue before the collision. News reports said police took him into custody at the scene.
Third Avenue at East 21st Street
The crash happened in Gramercy, at Third Avenue and East 21st Street. News reports described the location as near the former NYPD Police Academy building, which had been designated as a migrant shelter.
The Post later reported that Esiyok had been staying at a migrant shelter near the scene while looking for steady work in New York.
The man who died
The official record lists the person who died as a 23-year-old male bicyclist. The Post identified him as Abdulhekim Esiyok, a Turkish migrant who had been in the United States only a few months.
Sources differed on his movement before impact. Earlier police accounts in the Daily News and Post described the first person hit as a 23-year-old pedestrian in the marked crosswalk, while amNY, citing the district attorney, described Esiyok as a 22-year-old cyclist who was ejected from his bicycle.
A family waiting for his return
The Post reported that Esiyok was from Agri in eastern Turkey and had come to New York hoping to find work and send money home. A friend said his parents were devastated, and the report said a fundraising campaign helped cover transport and funeral costs so he could be buried in Agri.
Vehicles and reported movement
The official record lists a northbound 2021 Hyundai sedan, a parked 2013 Chevrolet SUV, and two e-bikes. It records the Hyundai driver going straight ahead before the crash, one e-bike rider turning right on red, and the e-bike associated with the person who died stopped in traffic.
The Daily News and Post, citing police, reported that Ali hit a person in the crosswalk, then hit an 18-year-old e-bike rider and two pedestrians before the impact with a parked unoccupied van. amNY, citing prosecutors, reported a different account: Esiyok was riding a bicycle, an e-bike rider was injured from the rear after the impact, and two pedestrians were hit by debris.
Alcohol allegations and criminal charges
The official record cites alcohol involvement for the crash and lists alcohol involvement and unsafe speed for the Hyundai driver. Prosecutors alleged Ali had been drinking during the day before driving that evening.
Police initially said Ali faced manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, assault and DWI charges. In August, the Manhattan district attorney announced an indictment on counts including aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment and driving while intoxicated.
Witnesses described screaming and scattered debris
A doorman who worked near the scene told the Daily News the noise sounded like an explosion and said people were screaming. Another nearby resident told the Daily News he saw people on the ground, quick triage and pieces of car mixed with bike debris across the area.
Police and news reports said medics took injured people to Bellevue Hospital. The Post reported that the front-seat passenger in Ali's car, two pedestrians, and an e-bike rider were among those hospitalized.