Two Riders Die on Queensboro Bridge Bike Path
A 39-year-old stand-up scooter rider and a 35-year-old bicyclist died after a morning head-on crash on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge bike path, where police said Francis Delvalle hit Dmytro Stechenko.
reviewed article location (Streetsblog NYC)
What We Know
The crash happened during the morning commute on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge bike path. The official record lists a westbound e-scooter rider and an eastbound bicyclist, and police accounts reported that 39-year-old Francis Delvalle was riding a stand-up scooter when he hit 35-year-old Dmytro Stechenko, who was riding a bicycle in the opposite direction. EMS took both men to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, where they were pronounced dead. Police and press accounts identified the scooter as a Teverun Blade GT II, a model advocates and reporters said can reach about 53 mph and is not legal for New York streets or bike lanes. Police said the investigation continued, and advocates called for tougher rules and enforcement after the deaths.
Police described a head-on crash in the bike path
The official crash record places the crash at 8:21 a.m. on May 28, 2026, on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge bike path. It lists a westbound e-scooter rider and an eastbound bicyclist, both male, both driving their own devices, and both killed.
Police told reporters that Francis Delvalle, 39, was riding a stand-up electric scooter westbound when he hit Dmytro Stechenko, 35, who was riding a bicycle in the opposite direction. The New York Post later reported, citing police, that Delvalle veered left to pass a slower bike rider before hitting Stechenko.
A narrow bridge path carried two-way bike traffic
The crash happened on the Queensboro Bridge bike path, a key East River connection between Midtown Manhattan and Long Island City. ABC7 reported that the bridge is one of the city’s busiest routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
The crash came about a year after the city separated the bridge’s pedestrian and cyclist paths. Gothamist reported that the redesign converted the north outer roadway, previously an 11-foot shared path, into a bike-only path.
The riders were later identified
Police and reporters identified the scooter rider as Francis Delvalle, 39. The Daily News reported that Delvalle lived in Woodside, while the New York Post reported that he was from Paramus, New Jersey; Fox 5 also identified him as from Paramus.
Reporters identified the bicyclist as Dmytro Stechenko, 35. The Daily News reported that Stechenko lived in Long Island City and worked as a software engineer at Meta, and West Side Spirit reported that he was a Ukrainian immigrant.
The scooter model drew scrutiny
The official record identifies the e-scooter as a Teverun Blade GT II and lists traffic control disregarded and unsafe lane changing for the e-scooter rider. The record lists the bicyclist as going straight ahead.
Transportation Alternatives and multiple news outlets said the scooter could reach about 53 mph. The Daily News reported that city law restricts stand-up e-scooters to 15 mph and that state law bars scooters capable of more than 20 mph from street use.
Advocates called for enforcement and sales limits
Transportation Alternatives urged the City Council to pass Intro 244, the Ride Safe, Ride Right bill, which would ban sales of e-bikes and e-scooters capable of exceeding 20 mph. Executive Director Ben Furnas said scooters that travel that quickly have no place in bike lanes.
CBS New York reported that the crash renewed questions about enforcement on the bridge, where riders described speeding scooters and only a painted line separating opposing bike lanes. Police said they were investigating whether either man was speeding.