E-bike rider dies after Amsterdam Avenue curb crash
Dayanara Deschamps Betances, a 49-year-old Washington Heights resident, died after police said she rode an e-bike north on Amsterdam Avenue at West 181st Street and struck a curb.
What We Know
Police told the Daily News that Dayanara Deschamps Betances, 49, was riding an e-bike north on Amsterdam Avenue at West 181st Street in Washington Heights at about 3:19 a.m. on May 2, 2026, with a 75-year-old passenger behind her, when she struck a curb. Both riders were ejected and hit the sidewalk, and EMS took Betances to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she died. The official crash record lists one cyclist killed and no injuries, identifies the vehicle as an e-bike with two occupants, and records the location as Amsterdam Avenue at West 181st Street.
A northbound ride ended at the curb
The Daily News, citing police, reported that Betances was riding northbound in the right lane of Amsterdam Avenue at West 181st Street at about 3:19 a.m. on May 2, 2026, when she struck a curb. A 75-year-old passenger was seated behind her.
Betances died after both riders were ejected
Police told the Daily News that both riders were ejected from the e-bike and hit the sidewalk. EMS took Betances to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she died; the passenger did not sustain injuries. The official record lists one cyclist killed and no people injured.
The crash happened in Washington Heights, near Betances's home
The official record places the crash at Amsterdam Avenue and West 181st Street in Manhattan. Police told the Daily News that Betances lived in Washington Heights and was seven blocks from her home.
NYPD investigators were reviewing the collision
The Daily News reported that the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad was investigating the collision.