Wrong-way hit-and-run driver kills Queens moped rider
Police said a wrong-way hit-and-run driver fatally hit Antonio Smith-Ortiz, 25, as he rode east on 149th Avenue near 121st Street, where the city record logged one motorist killed on June 10, 2025.
What We Know
Police said Antonio Smith-Ortiz was riding a gas-powered 2015 Honda PCX 150 moped east on 149th Avenue when a driver going against traffic in the eastbound lane hit him near 121st Street, then hit an unoccupied parked Ford vehicle and left. The city crash record logged one motorist killed at 10:04 p.m. on June 10, 2025, and listed passing or improper lane use as a contributing factor. Medics took Smith-Ortiz to Jamaica Hospital, where he died. Police had not caught the driver or developed a vehicle description as of the Daily News report.
Police described a wrong-way hit-and-run
Antonio Smith-Ortiz was riding east on 149th Avenue in South Ozone Park at about 10:05 p.m. when police said a driver traveling the opposite direction against traffic in the eastbound lane hit him near 121st Street.
Police said the driver then hit an unoccupied parked 2015 Ford Transit 350 Courier van and left the scene. The city crash record logged the crash at 10:04 p.m. and recorded one motorist killed.
149th Avenue near 121st Street
The fatal crash happened in Queens at 149th Avenue and 121st Street in the 11420 ZIP code. The Daily News identified the area as South Ozone Park.
Antonio Smith-Ortiz died after the crash
Smith-Ortiz was 25 and lived in Ozone Park, police told the Daily News. Medics rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, but he could not be saved.
The city record lists the person killed as the driver of the moped involved in the crash.
The records differ on one parked Ford description
The Daily News identified Smith-Ortiz’s ride as a gas-powered 2015 Honda PCX 150 moped. The city record includes a 2015 Honda two-wheeler in the crash data.
The Daily News described the parked Ford the fleeing driver hit as a 2015 Transit 350 Courier van. The city record describes the parked Ford as a station wagon or sport utility vehicle.
Improper lane use and wrong-way travel were cited
The city crash record lists passing or improper lane use as a contributing factor. Police separately said the driver was going against traffic in the eastbound lane before hitting Smith-Ortiz.
Police were still searching for the driver
As of the Daily News report the next day, police had not caught the driver and had not developed a vehicle description. Smith-Ortiz’s family declined to comment.