You are reading

Teenager Who Fatally Struck E-Biker Rider in Long Island City With Pickup Truck Arrested: NYPD

The Honeywell Street Bridge, which provides a connection between Skillman Avenue and Northern Boulevard. Josh Fitpatrick, 19, lost control of his pickup truck, crossed the roadway and fatally struck Thomas Panto, 32, who was riding an e-bike. Panto was in the bike lane traveling in the opposite direction (GMaps)

June 15, 2022 By Christian Murray

Police have arrested a 19-year-old man who allegedly killed an e-bike rider in Long Island City in October when he lost control of his pickup truck, crossed the roadway and plowed into the victim who was in a bike lane.

Josh Fitzpatrick, of Huntington, Long Island, was charged with reckless endangerment, failure to obey a traffic device and for speeding.

The teenager, according to police, fatally struck Thomas Panto, a 32-year-old man from North Corona, who was riding northbound on the Honeywell Street Bridge– which goes over the Sunnyside Yard—at around 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 11.

Panto was in the bike lane on the bridge going from Skillman Avenue to Northern Boulevard.

Fitzpatrick, who was traveling southbound in a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado, lost control of his pickup truck and slammed head on into Panto who was going in the opposite direction.

Emergency responders transported Panto to NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst where he was pronounced dead.

Fitzpatrick remained at the scene, where he told police that he lost control of his vehicle and careened into the bike lane across the street.

The investigation remains ongoing and is being conducted by NYPD Highway Patrol Collision Investigation Squad.

The Department of Transportation came under fire following Panto’s death since the bicycle lane is unprotected.

“Thomas Panto was killed on Honeywell Street in Long Island City, Queens, a street with a painted, unprotected bike lane,” said Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris at the time. “At best, painted bike lanes are useless, but at worst, they are a reckless invitation from the City of New York to its residents, inviting New Yorkers to ride a bike while failing to adequately protect them.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Southeast Queens leaders endorse Mark Levine for NYC comptroller

Apr. 17, 2025 By Athena Dawson

Cook cited Levine’s experience and problem-solving skills as a reason for her vote of confidence. “Mark is the clear choice to be our City’s next comptroller, and I am proud to back him today and every day. He has the experience and creative problem-solving skills to tackle some of our city’s most pressing issues while protecting New Yorkers from the dangers of Trump and the federal government,”  she shared in a statement. 

Op-ed: The power of representation in healthcare

Apr. 17, 2025 By Dr. Ifeanyi Oguagha

As physicians of color at Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center (JPAFHC), we regularly witness how representation in healthcare can save lives. Our patients – who, like us, are predominantly people of color – walk through our doors not only with medical concerns but also often carrying the weight of generations of inequities that have shaped their health outcomes.