A New Jersey man has been indicted in connection with a 2023 hit-and-run that left a 26-year-old motorcyclist seriously injured in Astoria, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced. Moustafa Taher, hailing from Rochelle Park, faces a slew of charges stemming from the November 18 incident, including assault, reckless endangerment, and driving with a suspended license.
Driving recklessly northbound on 29th Street, Taher allegedly slammed his 2022 Volkswagen Atlas into Deivy Lemus Bustamante, who was riding a motorcycle eastbound. Driving his mother's rented vehicle, Taher's license had been already suspended thrice for summons failures, reportedly. It's alleged by DA Katz that, after striking Bustamante and causing severe injuries, Taher fled the scene without stopping to render aid. According to a statement obtained by the Queens District Attorney's Office, debris from Taher's vehicle, including a license plate, was found at the collision site. The Volkswagen was later discovered abandoned near the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.
In an attempt to evade responsibility, Taher filed a false police report claiming his vehicle was stolen. "He then filed a false police report claiming that his car had been stolen to evade responsibility," declared DA Katz on the Queens District Attorney's Office. The 21-year-old now confronts substantial legal repercussions, with potential imprisonment exceeding 15 years if found guilty on all charges.
The case unfolded under the scrutiny of the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad and the DA's Vehicular Homicide Unit, leading to Taher's arrest in New Jersey on January 13. After being apprehended, Taher was extradited back to Queens to face the charges. The victim, Bustamante, has suffered considerable trauma in the incident, including a cervical spine fracture, and he now relies on a cane to walk. Assistant District Attorney Brian Cox, with the support of multiple colleagues from the District Attorney's Homicide Bureau, is handling the prosecution.
Taher was arraigned on a 16-count indictment and is required to appear before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Hartofilis on March 5, as reported by the Queens District Attorney's Office. The investigation revealed that at the moment of the crash, the data recorder showed Taher's vehicle traveling at 43 mph in a 25 mph zone, adding to the evidence of his reckless driving on that fateful day.
