A tragic collision in Brooklyn has claimed the life of a young moped driver and left another man injured. Early Saturday around 4:45 a.m., Joel Mota, a 22-year-old from Sunset Park, was fatally injured when his moped struck a car at the intersection of Third Avenue and 67th Street in Bay Ridge. According to Gothamist, the driver of the car, Leslie Moreno, was charged with driving while intoxicated and driving without a license.
Moreno, 29, was attempting to travel west on 67th Street when Mota, who was heading south on Third Avenue, collided with her passenger-side door. The NYPD reports that Mota suffered severe injuries to his head and torso and was pronounced dead at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn. The passenger on Mota's moped, a 21-year-old man, sustained multiple fractures to his left arm and leg and is in stable condition at the same hospital. The area has witnessed nearly 80 traffic fatalities this year, with around a quarter involving riders of two-wheeled motorized vehicles.
NY Daily News shared reflections from Mota's brother, Francisco, who described Joel as "a hardworking man" and spoke of his brother's dream to "go back to Mexico and start a business there." Joel Mota, who was born in Brooklyn and graduated from a local high school, juggled multiple jobs including construction and restaurant work to save for his goal of developing condos in his ancestral homeland.
Meanwhile, Leslie Moreno, the driver accused of causing the fatal accident, was brought before the Brooklyn Criminal Court on Sunday afternoon and released without bail. Mota's family, still reeling from the sudden loss, is preparing to navigate the coming legal processes. Francisco Mota told NY Daily News, "We'll see how it goes forth. Hopefully we get to be there for the trial, if there is a trial, and be able to talk on my brother's behalf."
