A 16-year-old Bridgewater boy riding an electric scooter was struck and killed by a Tesla Tuesday evening at the intersection of Union Avenue and Adamsville Road, according to a Bridgewater Township police report. The teen was riding eastbound on Union Avenue and heading straight through the intersection when the Tesla, making a left turn, struck him, police said.
Officers responded to the scene at about 6:31 p.m., according to News 12 New Jersey. When they arrived, they found a disabled Tesla Model Y sitting in the intersection and the teenager lying in the roadway, unresponsive and not breathing, police said. Officers immediately began CPR and other life-saving measures, which continued until Robert Wood Johnson paramedics arrived on scene, per the station's report.
Paramedics then transported the teen to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerville, where he later died from his injuries. As reported by TAPinto, the crash happened at the Union Avenue and Adamsville Road intersection in Bridgewater, a stretch of roadway familiar to residents in the township.
How the Crash Unfolded
Police said the Tesla was being driven by a 38-year-old Bridgewater woman who was traveling westbound on Union Avenue and attempting to turn left onto Adamsville Road at the time of the collision. The teen, meanwhile, was riding his e-scooter straight through the intersection going the opposite direction, per the same account. The Tesla struck him as it completed the turn, according to police.
The driver suffered minor injuries in the crash and was also taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for treatment, the same account notes.
Investigation Continues
The Bridgewater Township Police Department Traffic Safety Unit is investigating the crash. Anyone with information has been asked to contact Bridgewater police Officer Steve Black at 908-722-4111, extension 4133, according to nj.com.
Tuesday's crash adds to a string of fatal e-bike and e-scooter collisions involving young riders across New Jersey this year. At least three children have died in e-bike or e-moto crashes in the state since April, according to a report from nj.com, which also noted that an estimated 1.7 million e-bikes were sold nationwide in 2024 as demand for the devices has surged among teenagers. Among those earlier deaths was 15-year-old Gustavo Rocha of Lincroft, who died from injuries suffered in an e-bike crash, per the same nj.com report. A separate fatal e-bike crash in Somerset County in August also involved a collision with a left-turning vehicle on Route 27, though details of that case have not been independently confirmed.
