MTA bus driver fatally strikes 57-year-old cyclist in the Bronx, officials say

Police on Wednesday said they were investigating two fatal crashes in the Bronx and Queens, including a collision between an MTA bus driver and a cyclist that killed the 57-year-old man who was riding the bike.

NYPD officials said the bus driver hit the man around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday while turning from East 149th Street onto Brook Avenue in Mott Haven. The cyclist was thrown from his bike and first responders pronounced him dead at the scene, according to police. Officials did not immediately release his identity as they worked to notify his family.

The 35-year-old bus driver stayed at the scene and was not charged with a crime, police said. MTA spokesperson Tim Minton said the bus was operating as a replacement shuttle for the 2 train and did not have passengers on board at the time.

The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad was still looking into the crash, along with another fatal collision that happened around 4:15 a.m. Wednesday in North Corona, Queens.

In that incident, police said 23-year-old Justin Diaz was driving north on 107th Street in a BMW when he collided with a 28-year-old man driving east on Northern Boulevard in a Mercedes-Benz.

Diaz was taken to Elmhurst Hospital and pronounced dead, while the 28-year-old driver and a 28-year-old male passenger in the Mercedes were hospitalized in stable condition, officials said.

Police said they took the Mercedes driver, Michael Pena, into custody. They said he was an off-duty FDNY firefighter and charged him with vehicular manslaughter in the second degree as well as driving while intoxicated and refusing to take a breath test. Attorney information for him was not immediately available.

Diaz’s aunt Marisela Diaz told Gothamist in a phone interview that her nephew was a “great kid” who had just graduated from Vaughn College in Queens with a degree in aeronautics. She said her family was waiting to hear more from police about the incident and what caused the crash.

This story has been updated with additional information.