A 27-year-old Citi Bike rider was left fighting for his life after a head-on collision with another cyclist just steps from Central Park’s northern edge late Wednesday.
The crash occurred around 7:45 p.m. On Central Park North near Malcolm X Boulevard, where the older cyclist was traveling west in the eastbound lane, according to police and sources. He slammed into a 20-year-old man on an Amyet bike who was riding in the proper direction.
Both riders were thrown from their bicycles at the scene, just outside the park’s northern boundary near the Harlem Meer.
The 27-year-old suffered critical head trauma and was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital in critical condition. The younger cyclist, who sustained head and body trauma, was transported to the same facility in stable condition.
The wreck added to a grim week for New York City cyclists. A day earlier, a 33-year-old e-bike rider was struck by a hit-and-run driver on a busy Brooklyn thoroughfare and also left clinging to life. That collision happened around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on Nostrand Avenue near Atlantic Avenue in Crown Heights, police said.
The driver, behind the wheel of a white 2026 Hyundai Elantra, fled the scene and remained at large as of Thursday. The cyclist was still listed in critical condition.
Wednesday’s wrong-way crash on the Upper West Side reignited ongoing tensions over bike lane enforcement and rider behavior near one of the city’s most heavily trafficked parks. The collision came at the height of evening rush hour on a corridor that draws a mix of commuters, recreational riders, and pedestrians.
Authorities have not released the names of either cyclist involved in the Central Park North wreck, and no charges had been announced as of Thursday.
The younger rider’s stable condition offered a rare note of relief amid a spate of serious cycling incidents across the five boroughs. Both men remained under care at Mount Sinai Morningside as investigators continued to piece together the moments leading to the impact.