Cobble Hill Towers Resident Killed in LES Bike Accident

Cobble Hill Towers resident Jeffrey Axelrod, 52, was pulled under the tires of a Mack Truck Wednesday evening on Delancey Street, ending his life, police said.

According to a release from the NYPD, Axelrod was riding south on Chrystie Street and turned onto Delancey Street. He then "came into contact with the rear passenger side wheels of a 2005 Mack tractor trailer and was pulled under the truck."

Jose Martinez, another cyclist who was at the scene, was interviewed by Gothamist. Martinez told the blog that Axelrod "seemed nervous" and lost control of his bike, falling in-between the truck's wheels.

Gothamist also reports that police said Axelrod was wearing a helmet, and had "faltered on his bike because his chain fell off the sprocket."

Axelrod was also the coordinator and a founding member of the Cobble Hill CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). He was interviewed for our Green Matters column on in the Spring.

Also from Gothamist:

NYPD officers confirmed that because the driver "never saw him," and the cyclist ran the red light, there was "no criminality." 

The operator of the Mack truck, a 42-year-old male, stayed on the scene.

EMS pronounced Axelrod dead at the scene. No criminality is suspected, and the investigation is ongoing, according to police.