Frightful Motorcycle Accident in Gloucester City, One Man Dead, 15-Year-Old Boy Seriously Injured
Friday, August 22, 2014
CNBNews Staff
GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--A frightful motorcycle accident Tuesday night around 9:45pm, August 19, in the 300-unit block of Powell Street left one man dead and a 15-year Gloucester City boy in critical condition.
Gloucester City police said the motorcycle, operated by Michael J. Rivera, 32, of Camden struck the boy. Rivera, who was not wearing a helmet, was taken to Cooper University Hospital where he was pronounced dead Tuesday night, authorities said.
Rivera's passenger, a woman whose identity was not released, and the boy also were taken to Cooper. The woman was treated and released.
Authorities reported the teen remains hospitalized, but they did not give the status of his condition.
Gloucester City Police Chief George Berglund said speed appears to have been a factor.
On Wednesday, Dorian Gray, 16, who identified himself as the teen's best friend, told the Courier Post that he was walking with the 15-year-old when they saw the motorcycle approach.
Gray's friend tried to get out of the way, but was struck.
The bike then sideswiped a parked car, hit the back of a parked pickup truck and "exploded into pieces," according to Gray's father, David Perry.
"If the car wasn't there he would've been in the porches where everybody was sitting," Perry said.
Gray's next-door neighbor, Tom Fowler, was outside at the time and watched the crash unfold.
"The bike just lifted," he said. "I've never seen anything like it."
Gray said the teen, his friend since third grade, was thrown about 50 feet, but was conscious when neighbors and first responders tended to him. Witnesses said Rivera and his passenger ended up further down the block after the motorcycle hit the truck.
Gray said his friend suffered a broken femur and underwent surgery Tuesday night.
"The kid's more of a brother than a friend to me," he said.