On Tuesday morning, July 8th, a fatal car accident occurred in the Sheepshead Bay area of Brooklyn. An elderly 90-year-old Chinese man named Zhou Xie was struck by a lightweight electric motorcycle while crossing the intersection of U Avenue and East 14th Street. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead. The driver responsible for the accident fled the scene, and the police are currently conducting an investigation.
According to law enforcement officials, the incident took place at 9:34 a.m. on July 8th. Preliminary investigations indicate that an unidentified rider was driving a blue lightweight motorcycle southbound on East 14th Street. When the traffic light turned green, the rider crossed U Avenue and collided with Zhou Xie, who was on the sidewalk. The accident occurred in a busy area with numerous shops and heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Despite suffering severe head injuries, the driver of the motorcycle did not immediately stop to assist Zhou Xie. Instead, after staying at the scene for about three minutes, the driver slowly moved the motorcycle away from the intersection and then fled westward. Due to the fact that these lightweight electric motorcycles do not require registration, licensing, or insurance, tracking down the driver has proven to be particularly challenging.
This tragedy has once again drawn serious attention to the widespread presence of electric bicycles and motorcycles on the streets. Similar accidents have occurred in the past. In 2023, 69-year-old Priscilla Loke, an assistant principal at a Chinese American school, was fatally struck in Manhattan. In 2024, an 82-year-old man named Efrain Barreto from Brooklyn also lost his life in a motorcycle accident.
Even though lightweight electric motorcycles are not traditional vehicles, their significant weight, high speeds (exceeding 25 miles per hour), and difficult handling make them capable of causing serious harm in the event of an accident. However, current regulations lack clear standards for such vehicles, making it difficult for law enforcement to track them and for families of victims to seek compensation.
Senator Steve Chan from South Brooklyn strongly condemned the incident and called for legislative action. He stated, “I have been to the 61st Precinct, dealing with yet another senseless death involving these electric bicycles. New York is in chaos, and another innocent victim has lost their life. Even though it is not my district, this is my community!”
Since the tragic passing of 82-year-old Efrain Barreto last year, former State Senator Amy Kwok had proposed Bill S9920, suggesting stricter penalties for reckless and unlicensed drivers causing fatal accidents. However, the bill did not proceed to a vote.
In March of this year, another bill, S2436, titled “Prohibition of Selling Off-Road Vehicles and All-Terrain Vehicles in New York City,” was passed by the State Senate and is currently awaiting consideration in the State Assembly for a vote. Senator Steve Chan, as the minority leader of the State Senate Cities 1 Committee, has voted in support of this bill.
He called for bipartisan cooperation to swiftly push for legislative reforms: “Vote for Zhou Xie! Vote for Efrain Barreto! Vote for morality and conscience, vote for your life, your friends, family, and neighbors! Take action, participate in voting, and we can achieve victory!”
Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, representing the U Avenue district, proposed another bill aimed at enhancing the traceability of those responsible for accidents. He said, “As long as we legislate that all vehicles exceeding 25 miles per hour must be registered and have insurance, tracking down these vehicles will be much easier. I hope this bill can be named in honor of Zhou Xie and I am willing to discuss this proposal with his family.”
The communication director of Senator Chan’s office, Ling Fei, added that merely prohibiting the sale of such vehicles may not be enough to eliminate lightweight motorcycles from the streets, as underground transactions could still persist due to market demand. He suggested legislation that mandates registration and mandatory insurance for electric vehicles weighing over 125 pounds and traveling at speeds exceeding 25 miles per hour, as “when you have to pay for insurance, you naturally have a greater sense of responsibility.”
According to statistics from the city police department, there have been over 230 collisions involving motorcycles in New York City so far this year. The Department of Transportation recently announced that the number of traffic fatalities in the first half of 2025 hit a historic low and highlighted a decline in fatalities related to motorcycles. However, members of the community question that even with reduced data, victims and their families still struggle to obtain legal and financial compensation if the drivers cannot be traced.
Currently, the police are still investigating this case and are urging anyone with information to come forward to help track down the hit-and-run driver.