Victim Of 5th Ave Bike Attack Pushes For New 911 Bill

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The victim of last month's attack by a group of bicyclists on Fifth Avenue is joining forces with a state legislator to push for a new bill that could speed up emergency response times.

Max Torgovnick, 36, was behind the wheel of an SUV in the Flatiron District on Dec. 29, with his 74-year-old mother in the backseat, when a group of teenagers on bicycles ambushed the car in broad daylight, according to video released by the NYPD.

Video showed the attackers launching themselves onto the hood of the BMW before fleeing on their bicycles.

On Thursday, Torgovnick, who lives on the Upper East Side, appeared alongside Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright in a Zoom press conference to announce the proposed legislation, which would require wireless phone companies to immediately respond to law enforcement's requests for location information.

Seawright's bill is based on similar laws that have been passed in 27 states, she said. It is known as the Kelsey Smith Act, named for a Kansas teenager who was murdered in 2007 after a telephone company took several days to provide police with her location data.

Torgovnick, who was not physically harmed in the incident but is still "dealing with the emotional fallout from it," said Thursday that he struggled to remember basic facts while on the phone with authorities during the attack, including the color of his car and his exact location.

"Literally anything that can be done to make it so that we connect with our 911 dispatchers faster ... it'll ensure law enforcement can do their jobs and protect and save our lives," he said.

Seawright, who represents the Upper East Side, said that the bill in New York "would save lives."

"In an abduction or an emergency, law enforcement must act quickly, which is why we need wireless carriers to cooperate."

One 17-year-old has been arrested in connection with the incident, according to police.