A 7-year-old boy has died after a car struck the gas-powered minibike he was riding on an Atlantic City street, according to police. The crash happened around 5 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of Massachusetts and Melrose Avenues, and the boy later died from his injuries at Cooper University Hospital in Camden after being airlifted for treatment.
According to NJ.com, the child was riding the minibike when a 2012 blue Nissan Altima struck him, per the Atlantic City Police Department. Emergency responders first transported the boy to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center before he was airlifted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he died from his injuries. The driver of the Altima remained at the scene following the crash, and both the minibike and the car were towed for further examination. No additional details had been released as of the investigation update.
The crash site is near Massachusetts and Melrose Avenues, according to WPG Talk Radio 97.3 FM. The Atlantic City Police Department is investigating the incident jointly with the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, and it remains unclear whether any charges will be filed against the driver.
Restrictions on Off-Road Vehicles
Whatever the investigation ultimately determines about how the crash unfolded, the incident also highlights restrictions on off-road motorized vehicles in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City has tried to choke off illegal minibike riding before. In September 2022, the City Council passed a 7–2 municipal ordinance barring gas stations from fueling ATVs and dirt bikes driven into the station, with fines reaching $500 for retailers that don't comply, according to NJ 101.5. The same ordinance made it illegal for local self-storage facilities to house unauthorized off-road vehicles, requiring operators to evict tenants who kept them on site — an attempt to disrupt the supply chains that keep illicit riding alive.
Atlantic City is far from alone in this fight. Major New Jersey cities including Paterson, Jersey City, Trenton, and Newark have enacted their own bans on off-road motorized vehicles since 2020. Paterson's ordinance authorizes police impoundment and fines of up to $2,000, per the same NJ 101.5 report.
Safety Concerns About Young Riders
The tragedy also highlights safety concerns surrounding children on motorized vehicles.
The boy's death also adds to a grim run of child traffic fatalities in Atlantic County this month. Just days earlier, on September 15, Hoodline reported that a 6-year-old boy died crossing Black Horse Pike in Pleasantville after being struck while crossing the busy commercial corridor. Key questions remain open in the Atlantic City case, including how the 7-year-old came to be riding a gas-powered minibike on a public street and whether investigators will pursue any additional findings as the joint inquiry by Atlantic City police and the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office continues.
