Ruben Arevalo, 55, died after he crashed his stand-up electric scooter on May 17 when he struck a defect in the roadway, less than a mile from his Bensonhurst home. Emergency responders found him with severe head trauma and rushed him to Maimonides Medical Center, where he later died.
Police: Road defect threw rider from scooter
According to News 12 New York, police say Arevalo was thrown from his stand-up electric scooter just before 9:30 p.m. after striking a defect in the road near 58 Street and 19 Avenue. First responders arrived to find him with severe head injuries and took him to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Part of a growing pattern of deadly scooter crashes
Arevalo’s death comes amid a run of serious, sometimes fatal crashes involving stand-up e-scooters and other high-powered micromobility devices across the city. A May 28 head-on collision on the Queensboro Bridge that killed two riders has renewed calls for tighter rules and stepped-up enforcement, as reported by CBS New York, which noted that some stand-up models can reach speeds far above city limits.
What the rules say
New York City limits e-bike and e-scooter riders to 15 mph and recommends helmet use, according to NYC DOT. Advocates and transportation officials say those rules can be tough to enforce when more powerful aftermarket devices are widely available.
Similar crashes in Brooklyn
Earlier in May, News 12 Brooklyn reported that 42-year-old Juan Quishpe died after colliding with a concrete barrier while riding a 2024 Cleytro stand-up scooter in Cypress Hills, a case handled by the NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad. Like Arevalo, Quishpe suffered severe head trauma and was taken to a hospital, underscoring how quickly these crashes can turn deadly.
Police have not released further details about Arevalo's scooter or whether the NYPD opened a separate, formal probe into the Bensonhurst crash. Transportation advocates say the latest death is likely to increase pressure for stronger enforcement, expanded helmet outreach and clearer regulation of high-speed micromobility devices.
