15-year-old Antonio Benitez, a student from Garden City Park, was riding an electric bike Saturday night when he was struck and killed by a Lexus SUV around 8:12 PM in New Hyde Park.
Law enforcement says this all started just after 8 PM when NYPD got a 911 call about a knife-point robbery happening on Hillside Avenue in the Bellerose area of Queens. Police say Benitez may have been one of four teens accused of mugging a 14-year-old, and that a knife was found on him.
Cops say Antonio took off on an e-bike … leading officers on a pursuit that crossed into Nassau County. But at the intersection of Lakeville Road and Bryant Avenue, it turned deadly.
The teenager was hit by a 2015 Lexus GX 460 driving south on Lakeville. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.
Cops say the driver, 28-year-old Ruyan Ali, fled the crash site — but was picked up not far from the wreck. He’s now facing a stack of charges, including leaving the scene of a fatal crash, driving with a suspended license, and multiple traffic violations. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Sunday in Hempstead — bail was set at $100k.
Antonio’s death has rocked the New Hyde Park community. He was a student at New Hyde Park Memorial High School — loved football, lacrosse, and biking with friends. A GoFundMe page says he was known for his “kindness, humor, and deep love” for family and friends.
Classmates are in disbelief. One student, Johan Punnoose, told reporters:
“He seemed like a really good kid. Now, he’s gone. I can’t even comprehend that.”
His family’s questioning everything. They’re not convinced he was part of the robbery — and they’re asking for transparency. His cousin, Amanda, says the story feels incomplete …
“We really don’t know where everything went wrong.”
A tweet from X.
Meanwhile, the investigation is far from over. NYPD’s Force Investigation Division and Nassau County detectives are digging into the robbery and the deadly crash.
Locals are also raising red flags about the intersection where Antonio died, saying accidents happen there all the time, and it’s only a matter of time before another tragedy hits.
The GoFundMe supporting Antonio’s family has already pulled in over $21,000.
It’s a heartbreaking case with a lot of unanswered questions — and a community demanding justice.
