A teenage boy was found face down and unresponsive in a Sixth Street parking lot in Upland Sunday evening, just a few feet from the e-bike he had been riding, after police say it struck a car turning into the lot. Officers and ambulance personnel were called to the scene shortly before 6:30 p.m. and found the boy, described in 9-1-1 calls as 15 to 16 years old.
Officers and VMSC ambulance personnel were called to the unit block of Upland Avenue for a reported pedestrian struck, according to Delco Times. Numerous 9-1-1 callers reported seeing the boy lying face down on the ground, unresponsive, with the involved motor vehicle still on the scene. Police located him in a parking lot along Sixth Street, a few feet from his e-bike.
Teen Showed Faint Signs of Life Before Hospital Transport
After a few minutes, the youth moved slightly but was still unable to verbally respond, per the same account. VMSC ambulance crews arrived and began treatment on scene before transporting him to Christiana.
Acting Police Chief Carl White said the investigation determined the e-bike was being operated on the sidewalk without a headlight when it struck the side of a vehicle that was turning into the parking lot, the station's report notes. Pennsylvania law requires that a pedalcycle used between sunset and sunrise be equipped with a front lamp emitting a beam of white light, according to Pennsylvania General Assembly statute. The state also restricts sidewalk riding, with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation noting that bicycles are not permitted on sidewalks in business districts except where traffic control devices allow it or where a bicycle-only lane is available.
A Statewide Surge in E-Bike Crashes
The Upland crash lands amid a broader rise in e-bike incidents across Pennsylvania. PennDOT data show e-bike rider injuries climbed 40% statewide from 2024 to 2025, as reported by NBC10, which also cited PennDOT figures showing e-bike rider fatalities rose from two in 2024 to 12 in 2025. In Philadelphia alone, e-bikes and e-scooters were involved in 197 crashes on city streets in 2025, excluding interstates, a 40% jump over the prior year, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Similar crashes have played out elsewhere in the region recently. In Delaware County, Prospect Park Police Chief Dave Madonna voiced concern about the rising number of e-bike crashes after a 44-year-old Ridley Park woman was injured riding her e-bike at an estimated speed of more than 20 miles per hour without a helmet before colliding with a Volkswagen Beetle, according to FOX 29. She underwent surgery for a broken collarbone and other injuries. In a separate case in Girard Township, a 17-year-old Lake City boy failed to stop at a stop sign and entered West Lake Road, colliding with a westbound Volkswagen Passat, Erie News Now reported.
No further details on the Upland teen's recovery, identity, or the vehicle involved have been released as the investigation continues.
