By Gus Saltonstall
A woman remains in a coma for more than a week after being struck by an electric bike in Central Park, her family tells West Side Rag.
Jean, whom the family is choosing to identify by that single name for her privacy, was jogging on July 7 around 4:30 p.m. along West Drive near West 64th Street, when she was struck by an electric bike, police previously told West Side Rag.
“My aunt is an avid jogger. It’s not unusual for her to be jogging through Central Park,” Brandi Wiltse, Jean’s niece, told West Side Rag over the phone. “And, what I have been told by police and eyewitnesses, is that there was a man who was riding an e-bicycle, which can go 20-plus miles per hour, and he was in a bike lane, but he slid or swerved and hit her in the back; she didn’t see him coming.”
“It was very clear immediately that she had suffered major injuries,” she added, disputing the police’s original statement to West Side Rag that Jean “was alert, conscious, and stable” when she was taken to the hospital.
Jean was initially checked into a hospital as “Jane Doe” because she wasn’t conscious and was unable to provide her name, according to Wiltse.
“Still today, a week from the incident, she is in a medically induced coma,” Wiltse told the Rag on Tuesday. “She is not awake; we have no idea about her brain functioning. She suffered a traumatic brain injury, among numerous other injuries.”
The rest of Jean’s family lives in Georgia, which has only added to the difficulty of the situation. The day after the collision, Jean’s sister [Wiltse’s mother] flew to New York. She came back to Georgia for the first time on Tuesday to pack for a longer stay in the city.
“The last thing we would want is for her to wake up by herself and have no idea what’s going on. We have no idea what her state will be,” Wiltse said. “The doctors have said she may be aware of what’s going on, that she may be able to hear, and she just can’t convey that. My mom has been trying to be there and talk to her, to read to her, and it’s just very hard because she doesn’t have that immediate support system.”
Jean and the rest of her immediate family are originally from Long Island. Jean has been in New York City for the last 10 years. While Wiltse wasn’t positive what neighborhood she lives in, she told WSR that her aunt always mentioned that she could see the blown-up balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from her window, the night before the parade, which would indicate the Upper West Side.
“It’s also a financial burden,” Wiltse told the Rag.
“My aunt’s apartment. How are we going to keep that?” she continued. “We don’t want her to wake up and find out that she lost her apartment, and that we had to pack up all her stuff and move her out. It’s going to be a long road. Doctors are saying optimistically it will be six months before she can be transferred and moved out of the hospital.”
To that end, Wiltse’s family has created a GoFundMe for Jean, which has raised $2,700 as of Wednesday afternoon. You can donate — HERE.
Police told West Side Rag on Wednesday morning that there is currently no investigation into the Central Park collision. NYPD confirmed that the 26-year-old driver of the bike remained on the scene and provided his information.
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All the talk about banning horse-drawn carriages, but why do the pols shut their traps when the subject turns to “e-bikes” (aka unlicensed motorcycles)?
Let’s fire the politicians who “make” laws, and hire more cops and prosecutors to “enforce” the law.
There obviously are more accidents with uninsured ebikes than incidents with horse carriages. Ban the ebikes.
Let’s ban both, it’s not either/or.
agreed!
Politicians get money from DoorDash and other companies that stand behind TransAlt.
All roads point to Gale Brewer! A shame not one person ran against her this term. Until she is replaced, expect more of the same.
Absolutely. I can’t understand how she is getting re-elected. She brought so much harm to the neighborhood but advanced her career.
People love Gale for no reason, she is overrated.
Stop buying from places that deliver by ebike. Nip the problem in the bud.
Will they tell you when you ask them??
Exactly. Stop being lazy/selfish. Go out and pick up your food. Or order from places close to you. For most of the history of NYC this worked for people. Now everyone needs something extra special from further away.
I would go pick up my food as you suggest, but I’m afraid of being hit by one of those ebikes, so I order delivery. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle (pun intended).
Exactly! Anyone who’s from here knows that you could get pretty much anything delivered before the delivery apps existed. The apps provide no additional value, yet they charge the restaurant (up to 30%!), they charge the customers, they pay the delivery people virtually nothing and incentivize them to risk our lives and their own to get in one more delivery.
Right! Yet to be considered: many people – who depend on this sweaty job -will loosed their tiny income….
Sabine,
Prior to law allowing e-bikes and food apps, restaurants had food delivery but it was local.
And delivery workers worked for the restaurant.
Sorry but no one “needs” sushi from 60 blocks away or a Levain cookie from 40 blocks away
this is absurd, the amount of money from oil/gas/auto industries outweighs this 100 fold.
The oil, gas and auto companies aren’t hiring lobbyists to save parking spaces and fight back against enforcement cameras but Verra Mobility is donating to Transportation Alternatives and hired Kasirer to lobby for them.
Ah yes the holy bike! I’m sick of this. The driver should be held accountable and e-bikes should be banned!
Thos has absolutely no relevance to the conversation. Cars aren’t allowed in Central Park.
E bikes dont belong in our parks. Come meet meet some of NYC EVSA victims. Paralysis, 22 traumatic brain injuries, 18 skull fractures, 6 broken hips, vision loss, every broken bone you can name and severe ptsd. It is absolutely unacceptable that we allow heavy, speeding e vehicles in our parks!
ebikes don’t belong in bicycle lanes, if they are they need to be speed limited
Sure, but it was an opportunity to complain about cars. Some people simply can’t pass that up, particularly those trying to deflect from the bike conversation
no, it was actually about the influence that money has on our pols, and which wins, but no one seems to understand that.
How long can we keep doing the same thing and expect anything to change? No enforcement means people get killed.
W e need to follow the money and find out why e-bikes are allowed in the park. It took so long to get the cars out, now we have these delivery bikes racing around. No enforcement.
E bikes aren’t true bicycles. They’re more like mini motorcycles with their capacity to speed. We have to stop thinking of them as bikes. They’re vehicles that need to be regulated and registered, and banned from bike lanes, like those escooters Reckless operators of them drive wherever they want, and suffer no penalties. It’s ridiculous.
Bike Lobby – Transportation Alternatives. Shaun Abreu is endorsed by them.
any one who thinks there is a bike lobby is really confused
Open Plans, the parent of Steetsblog and other activist groups actually has a lobbying arm, and Transportation Alternatives actively lobbies but sure,
Deny away.
I agree but we actually do know. It’s because of the money which comes from the LOBBY Trans Alt which pretends to be a bike advocacy organization. The man behind it is a hedge fund millionaire-billionaire. The other money is coming from the delivery app companies, the e-bike companies, Lyft who owns Citibike. The Central Park Conservancy and City Hall are hand in glove with Trans Alt. It seems the Mayor though a socialist has some lobbies he likes being an advocate of. So TA gives campaign cash and the pols line up and do their bidding.
That’s why e-bikes are not regulated AT ALL in this city!!! And it goes all the way up to the state and the Governor who has said nothing about the fact that people are severely injured by unregulated e-bikes in Central Park, on the streets and on the sidewalks!!! But make sure you ban carriage horses. While thousands of New Yorkers are wearing the injuries from e-bikes.
I think the only way then will come from the basis, means the people who reject e-bikes in the park. That means a lot of engagement, co-ordination…it would/could start with collecting public signatures….
E-bikes should be prohibited in all parks because they can travel at high speeds and often require longer stopping distances, creating potential safety risks for pedestrians and other park users. However, e-bikes are not the only concern. Many cyclists on racing bikes also ride at excessive speeds, sometimes in large groups, behaving as though they are competing in the Tour de France. They should consider putting concrete barriers between the runners and cyclists.
I’ve written Abreu countless times about the dangers posed by ebikes in Riverside Park. Radio silence.
I called Gale Brewer. Same.
Join us http://www.nycevsa.org
The grey citibikes are capped at 15mph, not 20mph.
Hi Sid. And Proscilla Loke was hit and killed by grey citibike going under 15mph! Its also about weight of bike. Physics
Was this a Citibike? The article just says E-bike.
This is a tragedy and my prayers go out that women and God speed for a full recovery. The mayor needs to wake up and address the ebike usage in this city and the irresponsible owners that end up causing accidents like this. The guy that struck her was probably on his phone posting on his Insta feed instead of watching where the he** he was going. I grew up in Central Park and the increase of delusional cyclists over the years has been staggering. Look out for each other people.! It’s a public park after all. Use common sense. It goes a long way.
I live on Central Park West and for years enjoyed the park. I no longer go in it! I’m tired of taking my life in my hands. It was much safer when the cars were in the park because they stopped at red lights. No one stops for anything anymore. And what really irks me is the Central Park Conservancy is fine with this. If anyone should know that unregulated e-bikes are the wrong use for this park they should. My building and I stopped giving them money 2 years ago. They have helped to make the park a very dangerous place as evidenced by the injury and coma of this poor woman. She’s one of the few that’s been written about.
I’ve stopped giving to Central Park Conservancy, too. Shame on them.
The bicyclist is a person of color. The victim is not. The mayor thinks that prohibiting these ebikes would be racist.
This is unfounded and really just seems like an excuse for you to make some dig at the Mayor. There are lots of alternative hobbies to bellyaching and race-baiting—you should explore them.
GiveMeCake,
In my experience it is Citibike riders and spandex cyclists who are most dangerous to pedestrians – they routinely go through red lights, go the wrong way, ignore bike lanes, look at their phones.
Food delivery workers are more often mindful of pedestrians.
It is not unusual to see food delivery workers stop at a red light at a major intersection – and the Citibiker blows right through.
Are you kidding me? The delivery guy son the ebikes are the worst. They go the wrong way on one way streets, run red lights, ride on sidewalks. I’m not sure where you live where you don’t see any of this. Now when I cross a one way street I feel obligated to look both ways because so often there will be an e-bike coming at me from the wrong way.
Carlos,
I understand what you are saying – and of course there are numerous food delivery workers who go through red lights and so on.
I am saying that in my/my family’s experience (many areas of Manhattan) that it is Citibike riders (many ebikes) who are most consistently egregious and dangerous.
Also, many Citibikers who are unbelievably nasty and won’t hesitate to curse any pedestrian who objects.
Feel the same! It’s especially dangerous in the dark ’cause they – and other bikers of course too – cycle without light.
Have you not heard that Democratic politicians often claim that policing ebikes is racist?
Not even once, actually.
Citibike users tend to be young and mostly affluent.
Powerful bike lobby Transportation Alternatives represents this constituency. (delivery workers are convenient for bike lobby political messaging)
Actually, no. Your comment is hearsay. Please provide a direct source.
Additionally, there needs to be licensing for ebikes here as NJ is now implementing. It is a motor vehicle after all. People have been seriously injured and even killed due to the irresponsible ebike owners who fly down the streets at high speed without a care as to who they might hit. Enough with the nonsense! Where is the city leadership?
To be clear, the NJ law does not require any additional licensing for ebike riders age 17+ (outside of a standard driver’s license). The amount of mis-information in these comments is quite something. People need to read the rules and educate themselves.
https://www.nj.gov/mvc/vehicletopics/ebike.htm
Noted.
Thanks for that information. The comparison to NYC however still stands as is there is no current licensing/ insurance required to operate an ebike here. That needs to change. NY city streets are a completely different environment for this. Lots more pedestrians. When someone gets hit who is held accountable? It certainly shouldn’t be the person on the receiving end of a reckless cyclist.
Couldnt agree more. The majority of upper west siders agree about license plates for all e vehicles, yet our electeds dont seem to care. Its called Super Pacs and wealthy bike lobbying groups. http://www.nycevsa.org
All roads point to Gale Brewer. She does not listen to her constituents. Until we replace her seat – expect no difference.
Janet Schroeder please think about representing our district in the next election. We need a tireless leader who represents the majority – you have proven to be both!
Agree!
Go, Janet!
Pablo Zevallos or someone else will replace her and be worse.
As a lifelong NY er it used to be the rule that pedestrians have the right of way, period. What happened to that?
There is no justification for throttle operated vehicles’ presence in parks.
None.
100% Paul
Instead of adding bike lanes, NYC should ban any electric bike or scooter. Pedestrians are put in harms way having to dodge these weapons when crossing streets or walking on sidewalks. The 15 mph Law is not enforced, it’s the only solution.
Am I looking at the right thing? This, I think, is supposedly data from the NYPD Central Park present but it shows no no motorized 2 wheeler collisions last week.
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/traffic_data/traffic-statistics/ts-en-us-022.pdf
And in the case the pilice did show up and talk to the WSR.
How can we make them keep proper statistics?
On the plus side at least the driver provided their information.
Until laws change the same results will happen.
But he hasn’t been chantged with anything and since eBikes aren’t required to be insured it is unlikely the victim will get any of her medical bills or living expenses paid by him. So the family has to set up a GoFundMe. I hope NYrrs come through for her but it shouldn’t be this way.
Agree.
But until people realize it, no changes will be made.
This is just one of many results of quality of life issues not being enforced.
Behavior like this is spawned from it,
Most people will never realize it.As Brandon posted above, the Central Park precint didn’t even include this in their weekly stats. So we will keep being told that it isn’t that dangerous, look at the stats.
We did this to her. Electing feckless weasels has consequences for the most vulnerable. Call me names, see if I care what you think.
I don’t think many people at all care what you think.
Why would you say something like that?! This is a forum in which everybody has the opportunity to be heard. Unfortunately, even you.
Very sorry to hear this.
Hope she recovers.
A neighborhood friend was walking in Central Park last year and was hit from behind by a guy on Citibike.
She has had several surgeries as she suffered multiple fractures.
BTW no NYPD came to the scene – no police report of this.
Also, our family will contribute to the GoFundMe.
I hope TransAlt leadership will be contributing
E-Vehicles do not belong in NYC Parks! Our parks are for safe recreation and relaxation NOT Transportation! Motors do not belong on our parks. But the bike lobby ensures that the legislation to ban them from parks Intro 0377 isnt passed. Call your council member and demand that this bill is signed off on and passed. There are multiple SERIOUS accidents caused by e-vehicles in Central Park every week!! This is a fact and EVSA has the proof!
http://www.nycevsa.org
Shocking that the e biker stayed on scene. Thankful for that. 130 victims in EVSA. Six e vehicle drivers stayed at scene. 8 victims have police reports and are counted on City crash stats.
This another reason to be against the terrible W 72nd Street bike lane idea. The bike lane will spill out onto Central Park right where the HILL is. This is where all bikes pick up speed and rarely stop. STOP the MADNESS.
How about a simple concrete barrier that separates the traffic lanes from the pedestrian lanes? Many other cities do that, seems like no real reason not too here.
Perhaps we should demand that our politicians focus on the important stuff rather than simply getting their names in the news.
I am an avid runner and jog in CP all the time. This is a heart breaking story, as I have experienced many close calls in my 40+ years of running in the park. Sending her prayers for a quick recovery!
30+ years running in Central Park. I only run clockwise. I’ve seen too many people get hit (or nearly hit) from behind.
When will enough be enough. When will the people of this city rise up and say no more. No to Transportation Alternatives and their craven cult members. The tyranny of the minority has reached its sell by date. Join NYCEVSA. org
Reduce the speed of ebikes to 8mph if you want to go faster go back to pedal power. That will reduce the number of ebikes.
I have been calling Gale Brewer and others on it many times. Half a time my comments weren’t published.
Why do you keep voting for her? Till she does something concrete about e-bikes instead of promoting her career don’t vote for her. Just don’t.
Precisely! Vote smart people!
I am very sorry this has happened to her – so sad. I hope she recovers and is OK.
Very simple solution – ban e-bike batteries in NYC. There is no need for them. For decades delivery people used regular bikes (which also caused lots of problems, but nothing like this).
For every order a company loses by not being able to deliver to people further away, they will also gain from the nearby people who will now resume ordering from them. Or heaven forbid people don’t order in which is how most of the rest of America and the world work – the horror (yes, I know there are some shut-ins who depend on it, but they are few and far between).
Remember the incident in the Bronx where an NYPD officer threw the cooler at the drug dealer on the electric bike. To prevent him from hitting his fellow officers. And he was the guy that got convicted. The defense rests.
I’ve been hit by the ebikes speeding on the sidewalk. No stop and no apology.
Does anyone even know that the bike path has lanes, and that the lane closest to runners and pedestrians is the slow lane? E-bikes should be on the outside, if allowed at all. And not riding the wrong way, against traffic, which is not uncommon. Without enforcement and clear signage, more will be hurt and killed.
When will this danger be taken care of. I have near misses every day . Heartfelt wishes for her and her family
To add to the issue: Parks Dept “enforcement” does not confront or eject e-bike riders from Riverside Park, I often see delivery bikes in there, as well as Citibikes that are electric-boosted. My guess is that this is the same kind of policy where scofflaws are given a pass simply because authorities don’t want to see situations escalated.to violence.
Mayor wants horse carriages gone but not e-bikes. No licenses required. No ID required. Ridiculous.
They actually do 40-45 miles/hour.
The driver of the e-bike should be covering the victims bills! It’s time to hold e-bike drivers accountable!
I wholeheartedly agree that the time has come to ban horse-drawn carriages, e-bikes, e-scooters – any and all unlicensed e-vehicles – until our City Council or NYS passes legislation requiring appropriate driver-ed, licensing of all e-transportation devices and, most importantly, backs up the legislation with enforcement of rules of the road. As an 88-year-old woman who was struck from behind (in FL) by a non-e-bike about 12 years ago, and wound up with a brain bleed, concussion and arthritic knee requiring 18 months of PT, I feel vulnerable here in the City every time I cross an UWS avenue or street. More must be done! May our representatives listen to the people!
E bike’s should be banned from Central Park and only used for food deliveries on the Citi streets and registered license drivers.
Ban E bikes! Or at the very least regulate them like a car! Honestly, if cars were invented today, no one would want people to get licenses or have registration registrations
how many more serious crashes causing serious injuries and fatalities will it take until government gets serious about regulating these motorized vehicles pretending to be bicycles?
LEAVE THIS ARTICLE ON THE TOP OF THIS PAGE UNTIL EBIKES ARE BANNED FROM CENTRAL PARK
It just shows the inability our City cannot make important decisions. Perhsps we
are doomed. Our great City it’s going down before our eyes
They are a scourge on the UWS. I look and look each time I cross and BAM! One always seems to suddenly barrel right for me.
Beyond sad and upsetting. Please take accessible ID with you when you leave home so worried family can be alerted to the situation more quickly.
I’m curious to know if the employers of delivery bikers are ever sued by accident victims. There should be legal redress against the employer of a reckless truck driver. Why not with bicycle deliveries? They should be required to have insurance coverage and barred from offering deliveries if they don’t
The enforcement of speed limits is hard to enforce without infrastructure. We should have speed tables at every pedestrian intersection and have some sort of curb separation between the bike lanes and jogging lanes. Force the bikes to slow down and stay in their lanes if you can’t enforce speed limits.
I was raised in Manhattan, but when I visit the city now, I’m far more fearful and vigilant, due to the menace of e-bikes, than by any other urban related risk. That includes during periods of high crime in past decades. I might add that I am an active cyclist year round here in Maine, and am not opposed to two wheel travel, or even class 1 e-bikes ridden with care. Now you have to look very, very carefully, a half dozen times, crossing any street, and are not necessarily safe on a sidewalk.
Another completely avoidable tragedy at the hands of the bike lobbyists Transportation Alternatives, their board members on the CB7 Ken Coughlin and Howard Yaruss , and our elected officials who have sacrificed the residents of this community for the zealot ideology and money from uber and DoorDash.
Anyone who was at that sham of a meeting in June saw that our CB is totally bought and paid by this lobby – packing the church with its activists and shutting out residents and business owners. Enough is enough.
This woman may not survive, have long term morbidity. If priscillias law is not enacted, if the 72nd street e-bike lane is not abandoned; then we have proof of total corruption.
I’m an avid bicyclist who’s afraid to ride my bike in the park. The rule should be simple: if you’re not pedaling stay out of the park. Simple rule plus enforcement will solve the problem avoid tragedies like this.
If it’s got a throttle that motorizes the bike without pedaling, it’s not a bicycle or e nike. It’s a motorcycle. Keep it out of the park and bike lanes. This includes scooter capable of greater than 15 mph.
I agree with all the comments made, this was a horrific accident, and Jean and her loved ones may never recover, though I fervently pray that they will. I am also impressed that the e-bike driver remained at the scene. I don’t know him, but I wonder if he has also been traumatized for life. Accident or not, I would never be able to find peace if had I caused this.
I know a medically induced coma may be necessary, but I also know from when my brother was put in one after a brain bleed that the drugs used to induce and keep the patient in that state can cause severe hallucinations to the patient. He said he could hear so much of what was going on, but his interpretation of his treatment was that he was being tortured by the doctors and nurses. He could not understand why his family, though present, weren’t helping to keep him from being tortured. Once he recovered, it was so hard to hear how miserable, alone and frightened he felt. He was often brought into semi consciousness long enough for them to run tests but then put back into the deep coma, all the while being unable to speak. went on for some 20 days. I hope this family will speak directly to their loved one and constantly reassure them that they are loved and being cared for properly whether they are conscious or not. May God be with them all.
That is so horrifying.
When jogging & walking around The Drives in CP I see hundreds of folks like Jean innocently trusting that vehicles will keep right and stay in control. After this tragic accident I grieve for a fellow user CP along with all posted comments. I read the to learn about how my neighbors asses causes and possible solutions. These posted thoughts are a value to me. Thank you.
So may I ask one or two simple questions? First, what group or groups consider ebikes in CP a right? Liberals? Progressives? Gen Z? AI? And what groups oppose these vehicles? I’m trying not to classify anyone’s opinion but rather to understand who I’m standing next to if one is for regulated bikes ( ie license and speed) or against their use inside CP. After all the nearly 100 comments, many arguments or POVs seem tethered to leanings other than safety or freedom. Admit it, we all want Jean to survive somehow. And fewer accidents like hers in the future. If I hear “yeah, but at what cost?” I’ll regret the cause of such unfortunate views, no matter what group that is….
All sympathy to her; may she recover well. It’s unusual that the driver remained on the scene. A delivery e-bike behind me on a sidewalk in Chelsea, near 6th Ave. and W.23rd, sideswiped me and knocked me down couple weeks ago. The hard fall onto a rusted metal sidewalk plate caused a rotator-cuff tear. “jammed” shoulder, elbow, and fingers, plus knee bruising and chronic upper-arm and shoulder pain. I was shocky, and didn’t go to the cops or the ER; I now regret not filing a report. Obviously this is not nearly so dire as coma, but with only Medicare (I’m 75), the painful injuries and movement impairment will have to persist for weeks if not months. License, registration, insurance, accountability; and keep the e-bikes off sidewalks and park paths at least.
“Researchers for NYU Langone Health analyzed 900 patients treated for injuries caused by electric bike and scooter use at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital for a May 2026 study, “The Fast and the Fragile: Neurosurgical Trauma in the Age of Micromobility.”
The investigators determined that approximately a third of those patients suffered traumatic brain injuries, and 30% needed intensive care. Unsurprisingly, the majority of riders went without a helmet, according to the findings.”
https://nypost.com/2026/07/16/lifestyle/doc-issues-deadly-e-bikes-warning-grieving-parents-agree/
Enough with all these bike lanes. They are so dangerous and they are all unlicensed and don’t follow laws.