Revel shuts down service in New York City after 2nd scooter death in a week
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Revel announced Tuesday it is shutting down service in New York City until further notice after a second death involving a rider on one of the company's scooters.
Police said 32-year-old Jeremy Malave was killed just after 3 a.m. Tuesday on Woodhaven Boulevard near 67th Drive in Forest Hills, Queens.
"New York riders - starting today, NYC service will be shut down until further notice," the company posted on Twitter. "We're reviewing and strengthening our rider accountability and safety measures and communicating with city officials, and we look forward to serving you again in the near future."
Malave was found in the roadway with severe head trauma and was later pronounced dead at North Shore Forest Hills Hospital.
Police said the investigation determined that he failed to properly navigate the roadway and struck the center light pole within the center median.
The investigation remains ongoing.
"We have seen too many times in the last few days, painful realities, people injured and even worse lives lost by folks who were just trying to have an enjoyable experience and rented a Revel scooter," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "Our hearts go out to the family of young man who died in Queens last night."
The latest incident comes after a 26-year-old television reporter for CBS2 died after she was thrown from a moped in Brooklyn last week.
Nina Kapur, who was also an intern at WABC's sister-station WPVI in Philadelphia, was a passenger on the Revel moped when police say the 26-year-old male operator swerved for unknown reasons on Franklin Street approaching India Street.
Both Kapur and the driver fell onto the roadway, and Kapur was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.
The operator suffered minor injuries. Police say neither riders were wearing helmets.
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"This is an unacceptable state of affairs, so the city has the power to regulate to restrict and even prohibit rental scooters," de Blasio said. "We spoke to the company this morning, to the CEO of Revel, made very clear that it's unsatisfactory and unacceptable situation. Revel has made the decision to shut down their service for the time being. And that is the right thing to do because no one should be running a business that is not safe. And unfortunately, this has been proven to be not safe."
This past Saturday, a man was critically injured after the Revel scooter he was operating crashed in Manhattan.
Police say the 30-year-old was driving the scooter with a 32-year-old male passenger when he lost control and struck a pole on Wadsworth Terrace in Inwood around 4:30 a.m.
"We will work with Revel," de Blasio said. "We will not allow them to reopen unless we are convinced it can be done safely. I just want people to know that that service will now be shut down as of today."
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