Juvenile in critical condition following e-bike collision in Princeton

An unidentified juvenile remains in critical condition following a collision with a motor vehicle around noon on Sunday, according to a Sunday afternoon press release from the Princeton Police Department (PPD). The juvenile had been operating an electric bicycle. 

Chief of the PPD Matthew Solovay confirmed in an email to The Daily Princetonian that the juvenile was not a Princeton University student. He declined to comment further on the individual’s injuries beyond the release out of respect for privacy surrounding medical treatment. 

The incident occurred at the intersection of Ewing Street and Terhune Road, less than two miles from Nassau Hall, near the Princeton Shopping Center. According to the police’s preliminary investigation, the juvenile riding the e-bike was traveling north on Ewing Street and collided with an eastbound vehicle on Terhune Road. According to Google Street View, traffic on Ewing Street has a stop sign at the intersection, while cars on Terhune Road do not.

The Princeton Fire Department and Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad responded to the collision alongside the PPD. The juvenile is currently in a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition. The motor vehicle driver suffered minor injuries. 

The PPD Serious Collision Response Team and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office closed off the area surrounding Ewing Street and Terhune Road for “approximately three and a half hours,” while the preliminary investigation was ongoing. 

Earlier this month, the University announced that e-bikes will be prohibited on the majority of campus beginning on June 1. The policy was discussed in meetings between Undergraduate Student Government leaders and administrators, eliciting mixed reactions from students. For the municipality, e-bikes are not allowed to be ridden on sidewalks and can only accelerate up to 20 mph.

Last winter, a pedestrian was struck by a car while crossing Nassau Street at a marked sidewalk. Earlier this month, a male University student on an e-bike was trapped under a motor vehicle for over 20 minutes after a collision on campus, to which the University’s Department of Public Safety responded. 

A full investigation into the incident is ongoing. The PPD encouraged anyone with information related to the incident to contact Patrol Officer John Myzie of the Traffic Safety Bureau at jmyzie[at]princetonnj.gov.

Luke Grippo is a head News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from South Jersey, and typically covers high-profile interviews and University and town politics. He can be reached at luke.grippo[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.