A 15‑year‑old boy was killed Saturday night, July 12, after he was struck by an unlicensed driver while fleeing New York City police on an electric bicycle, police said.
The teenager has been identified as Antonio Benitez, of Garden City Park. New Hyde Park Memorial High School classmates and family have been holding a vigil for Benitez at the scene of his death since 2 p.m. on Sunday.
“What we want is justice,” Daisy Cabrera, the boy’s mother, said in Spanish, according to published reports. “We want to know the truth and why there’s miscommunication about what happened. We want the whole story put together and to know the real cause.”
At approximately 8:01 p.m. on July 12, officers responded to a 911 call reporting an alleged knife‑point robbery in front of 256‑17 Hillside Ave. in Bellerose, Queens. The victim, a 14-year-old boy, had been confronted by a group of other teens.
Police say they then pursued Benitez, who was riding an e‑bike eastbound on Bryant Avenue in North New Hyde Park at the time of the crash. As Benitez crossed the intersection of Lakeville Road and Bryant Avenue, he was struck by a 2015 Lexus GX 460 traveling southbound.
“Everything that they’re putting out there is just false, false alarms, false accusations, without having any proof of anything,” Anthony’s aunt, Emelyn Alvarenga, said, according to reports. “We don’t have an idea what really happened.”
The unlicensed driver, identified as 28‑year‑old Ruyan Ali of North New Hyde Park, allegedly fled the scene but was arrested nearby without incident, police said.
Paramedics pronounced Benitez dead at the scene from severe trauma, police said. The Nassau County Police Department is collaborating with the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division in an active investigation.
Family and friends have described Benitez, a sophomore at New Hyde Park Memorial, as a kindhearted teen passionate about lacrosse, football, and biking. A GoFundMe campaign established to support his family had raised more than $26,000 by Tuesday morning.
New Hyde Park Memorial High School principal Rosemary DeGennaro said the school and the Sewanhaka Central School District are “deeply saddened” by the news. The school provided grief counseling for students on Monday, July 14.
“He was a funny kid; he would tease you, but it wasn’t actual teasing, it was to push you to be a better person,” said Jonathan Rivera, a friend and one of the organizers of the vigil.
At the Monday vigil, classmates and others left bouquets by a photo of Benitez, writing messages of endearment on the street pole. Pieces of the car were still at the scene.
According to Rivera, many classmates and parents have attended the vigil since its start, and he and other friends have spread the word on their respective social media.
“They were just saying that he was involved in a lot, but knowing him, he was not the type of person to do something like that, especially in the situation he was in,” said Rivera about Benitez. “He would never want to put his family or himself in that situation or any of his friends.”
According to classmates at the vigil, Benitez did not possess the knife and was wrongly mistaken for other people at the scene.
Benitez was also described as someone who was passionate about e-bike safety.
When camera crews arrived at the vigil on Monday, those holding the vigil dispersed.
Attendees said they would return later in the evening.
Ali has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash with a fatality, aggravated unlicensed operation, aggravated unlicensed operation and other traffic violations. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Sunday, July 13, in Nassau County’s First District Court in Hempstead.
Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances of the robbery or whether any charges were brought in connection with that incident.
On Feb. 1, the New York Police Department implemented a new vehicle pursuit policy, limiting chases to only the most serious and violent crimes in an effort to improve safety for both the public and police officers.
“The NYPD’s enforcement efforts must never put the public or the police at undue risk, and pursuits for violations and low-level crimes can be both potentially dangerous and unnecessary,” said Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch in a press release.
In 2024, the NYPD reported 2,278 vehicle pursuits. Approximately 25% resulted in collisions, property damage, or injuries. The department noted that 67% of pursuits stemmed from vehicles fleeing traffic stops, many of which would not qualify under the new policy.
