Grief For NJ Teen Killed By Tow Truck While Riding E-Scooter

ELIZABETH – There is a memorial reportedly for Nelson: Seventeen candles, a baseball and a teddy bear.

And there is a legacy, too: A community grieving and coming to grips with the idea that the 16-year-old was killed by a tow truck while riding an e-scooter – just weeks after the program, long thought to be a safe and economical alternative form of travel, began in Elizabeth, according to nj.com.

The crash has the community questioning whether the program is worth it if there is a risk. And it has compelled officials and residents to do everything they can to deal with a tragedy they didn't expect when the electric scooter program started.

Indeed, Elizabeth City Council members will vote on Tuesday whether to suspend or potentially end the Lime pilot program in the city, according to nj.com. The vote comes after Nelson Miranda-Gomez was hit by a tow truck as it turned right onto South Spring Street from Elizabeth Avenue on Wednesday at about 8:05 p.m.

“Any time anyone loses a life, whether it be old or young, it affects all of us, especially me,” Council President William Gallman told NJ Advance Media. “We’re going to do everything that we possibly can to correct that.”

A GoFundMe page was created for funeral expenses for Miranda-Gomez’s family, saying: "We’re appealing to all individuals, who are interested in assisting the Miranda-Gomez family during our time of bereavement."

"Our beloved son, brother and friend Nelson was called home way too soon as a result of a tragic accident," the page says. "The Miranda-Gomez family will greatly appreciate any donations regardless of the size to help offset the cost of any funeral expenses incurred."

Mayor Christian Bollwage told The New York Times that the council had unanimously agreed to try the pilot program, but “tragedies always have a way of stimulating an emotional response to an issue.” The program started on Nov. 1.

Bollwage said Elizabeth has had more than 15,000 rides on the Lime scooters, which can be parked anywhere at the end of a ride, in the first three weeks. Russell Murphy, a spokesman for Lime, told The New York Times that the death was the first involving one of the company’s scooters in New Jersey.

“We are absolutely devastated by this tragedy and our hearts go out to the victim’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” Murphy told the publication.

Still, some in the community told The New York Times that support for the program is not-so-unanimous anymore.

Salaam Ismail, director of National United Youth Council in Elizabeth, said he was calling every member of the City Council and urging them to suspend the scooter program immediately.

“They didn’t think this thing out,” Ismail told the Times. “This city is just not equipped for it. Look, New York don’t even want it in Manhattan because it’s too cluttered. It’s the same situation here in Elizabeth.”