A motorcycle operator who was allegedly speeding in Howard Beach died after colliding with a stopped NYPD vehicle early Saturday morning, according to authorities.
Police said the incident happened at 1:02 a.m. on Sept. 5 along the Belt Parkway between the Cross Bay Boulevard and Erskine Street exits in Howard Beach.
According to law enforcement sources, Matthew Hester, 41, of Hempstead, N.Y., was driving a 2014 BMW motorcycle along the westbound lanes of the parkway at a high rate of speed when it suddenly collided into the rear of a stopped NYPD Highway Patrol vehicle near 156th Street.
The police unit was there with crew to assist a disabled vehicle in the left lane, and had its emergency lights activated at the time, authorities said.
The impact of the rear-end collision sent the motorcyclist flying off of his ride and to the pavement.
Officers from the 106th Precinct and EMS units responded to the crash. Paramedics rushed the motorcyclist to Jamaica Hospital, where Hester was pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, an NYPD officer who sat inside the Highway Patrol vehicle at the time of the crash was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospital for treatment of neck and back pain. No other injuries were reported.
This story was updated at 8:10 a.m. on Sept. 6.
