NYC food delivery driver’s e-bike catches fire in Sunset Park
A Brooklyn meals supply driver barely escaped critical harm Saturday when his e-bike immediately burst into flames whereas he was using on a sidewalk, eyewitnesses mentioned.
Abdel Musleh captured the motion in entrance of his Sundown Park house on video with a hoop digital camera and posted it on Reddit.
It confirmed one among his neighbors, who delivers meals for a dwelling, using off on his e-bike to work illegally alongside the sidewalk from a number of doorways down — however then stopping abruptly seconds later in entrance of Musleh’s house after the bike caught fireplace.
The person appeared in shock, barely getting away earlier than mini-balls of fireplace carrying tiny items of the bike shot out in a sequence of bursts that made loud popping sounds.
A number of automobiles driving down forty fourth Avenue between sixth and seventh Avenues had close to misses because the flaming shards flew previous.
The incident comes amid a rising debate over the protection of e-bikes. Their batteries, which burn quick and sizzling, have been linked to at the least 5 deaths within the metropolis this 12 months, together with 5-year-old Erica Williams, who died final month when her father’s bike caught fireplace whereas they had been sleeping inside NYCHA’s Jackie Robinson Homes in Harlem.
“These e-bikes are harmful — particularly a budget ones,” mentioned Musleh. “These [food-delivery] guys helped preserve the town operating throughout the pandemic, however we’d like stronger tips of what sorts of bikes needs to be on the road to verify issues like this don’t occur.”
Musleh mentioned his neighbor appeared injured and walked away limping after escaping the fireplace, however returned with two gallons of water a couple of minutes later to place it out. The bike, nonetheless, was nonetheless smoldering till the Hearth Division arrived quickly after and hosed it down with water, he mentioned.
