Queens man dies after speeding into utility pole in Maspeth on moped city DOT labels illegal
A man riding an illegal moped died after he hit a speed bump and crashed his ride into a utility pole in Queens, police and other officials said Wednesday.
Jaime Aguilar, 48, was zooming south along Maurice Ave. in Maspeth at a “high rate of speed” about 6:40 p.m. on Monday when he hit the speed bump, lost control of his moped and hit the pole near 53rd Ave., according to police.
Aguilar suffered severe trauma to his body and head. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center, but he could not be saved.
Aguilar, who lived in Corona, Queens, was riding a 2022 Fly E-bike Z6, cops said. The two-wheeler is an electric moped designed to look like a motorcycle. Its top speed is 45 mph — 20 mph higher than the speed limit on most city streets — according to the manufacturer’s website.
Fly E-Bike’s website bills the model as “street legal,” but city Department of Transportation officials said the ride is not allowed to operate on New York streets. The type of moped on which Aguilar crashed is not qualified for a registered vehicle identification number or license plate in New York State, officials said.
A salesman at Fly E-Bike’s local headquarters in Flushing, Queens, said the latest models of the Z6 mopeds are street legal and have vehicle identification numbers.
But a DOT spokesman said even if the particular two-wheeler Aguilar was riding had a VIN, it was not registered with the state Department of Motor Vehicles and did not have a license plate.
