A 74-year-old Edison man has died seven days after losing control of his e-bike and hitting his head on the ground, according to police. Gary Benedict was riding without a helmet near the Edison Boat Basin in the Meadow Road area on Oct. 24 when he was thrown from the bike. He spent a week in the hospital before dying on the afternoon of Oct. 31.
According to NJ.com, Edison police said the crash happened at 3:41 p.m. on Oct. 24, when Benedict lost control of his e-bike, was thrown off, and struck his head on the ground. He was an Edison resident. Police said Benedict was not wearing a helmet at the time, a detail that carries added weight because New Jersey e-bike riders have been required to wear helmets since July 19, the outlet reported.
The length of Benedict's hospitalization underscores how serious his injuries were. He spent a full week at an area hospital fighting to recover before he died, according to police, a timeline that mirrors other recent e-bike fatalities across the state.
A Pattern of Fatal E-Bike Crashes Across New Jersey
Benedict's death adds to a string of fatal e-bike crashes that has alarmed officials statewide. Just weeks earlier, 73-year-old Henry Phillips Jr. of Atlantic Highlands died after his e-bike collided with an Atlantic Highlands police vehicle in Middletown on Oct. 10, 2025, according to NJ 101.5. Phillips was declared dead at the hospital nine days later, on Oct. 19, 2025, the station reported.
In September 2025, the pace of tragedy was even faster: a 13-year-old in Scotch Plains was struck by a landscaping truck and a 22-year-old in Orange was hit by a van, two fatal e-bike crashes in a single week, the same NJ.com report noted. That article described the state as scrambling to address what it called a dangerous and fast-growing trend.
Safety Data and E-Bike Law
The surge in e-bike use has outpaced the state's ability to track its risks. At the time of that September 2025 report, New Jersey State Police tracked traffic fatalities but did not yet distinguish e-bike riders from those on conventional pedal bikes, according to the outlet's reporting. Separately, a 2023 study examined pediatric e-bike injuries.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation has flagged the broader risk to people who walk and bike on the state's roads, saying such road users suffer injury and fatality rates that are much higher than the national average, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The agency has said improving driving behavior and road design is needed to protect these vulnerable road users.
New Jersey law defines low-speed electric bicycles. Under a 2019 law, a low-speed electric bicycle was defined as a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor under 750 watts, according to the New Jersey Legislature. The law also set out how low-speed electric bicycles were classified.
