New York – September 20, 2026 -- A 15-year-old girl riding an electric Citi Bike was struck and killed by a heavy-duty industrial truck in Manhattan's East Village on Friday night, according to a statement released by Bradley Tusk, founder of Tusk Philanthropies.
Tusk says the death comes months after Citi Bike had prepared, following a year of work, to launch an age verification system meant to stop riders under 16 from renting e-bikes. He claims the rollout was scheduled for May but was halted the day before launch on orders from Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson.
Tusk says city officials blocked the system over biometric screening concerns
According to Tusk, the mayor's office argued that biometric screening used for age verification was discriminatory and that Citi Bike should not collect additional rider data. Tusk counters that ride data is already logged whenever a customer rents a bike, since doing so requires a digital device and payment method.
Tusk links the crash to a citywide rise in e-bike incidents
Tusk states that e-bike crashes have increased more than 32% this year compared to last year. He is calling for the immediate rollout of the age verification system "before more kids are killed or injured on e-bikes."
Tusk calls for Deputy Mayor Kerson's removal
In his statement, Tusk directly criticized Mayor Mamdani's broader policy approach, also referencing the city's decision this past winter not to break up homeless encampments, which he associates with the deaths of 19 people from exposure. He argues that if Deputy Mayor Kerson continues to block the safety measure, the City Council should push for her removal from office.