Central Park jogger, Jean, 43-years-old remains in coma after struck by E-bike rider in Central Park as relatives of Upper West side runner demand 26-year old electronic cyclist face charges after cops dropping case.
A 43-year-old Upper West Side woman continues to remain in coma more than a week after she was struck by an e-bike while jogging near West 64th Street on the West Drive in Central Park.
Jean, described as an avid jogger by friends and family was run down from behind by an e-bike rider allegedly going the wrong way in Central Park on July 7th just on 4:38 p.m. The incident led to the hapless runner being placed in a medically induced coma, according to the nypost.
The episode has led to Jean having a portion of her skull removed during emergency cranial surgery her niece, Brandi Wiltse, told the outlet on Thursday.
Victim’s niece demand NYC hold cyclists and e-bike riders to account
‘Now, over a week from the incident, she is still not awake, still in a medically induced coma,’ Wiltse said.
Despite the life shaking injuries and questions of what challenges Jean will face if she survives her ordeal the un-identified electric bike driver, described only as a 26-year-old is unlikely to face charges according to the relative.
Wiltse is now demanding NYC city do ‘absolutely’ more to hold the ‘reckless’ cyclist and other cyclists accountable.
‘After this, the fact that there is no accountability, there’s no registration requirement, there’s no insurance … There should be laws in place,’ the relative told the nypost.
Witness claims Central Park e-bike rider going wrong way in runner lane
Witness Hoon Chan Sim said the cyclist was allegedly driving fast in the wrong direction in the running lane — instead of using the lane designated for bikes — and hit Jean from behind as she ran, causing her to fall and land on her head.
‘He was going the wrong way on the running track,’ Sim said. ‘I heard a really loud screeching noise. My guess is that he was going pretty fast.’
The cyclist — who appeared to be a ‘courier,’ based on his fast-looking bike — allegedly tried to leave but other pedestrians surrounded him to force him to stay and wait for first responders, Sim said.
‘The saddest thing was that he didn’t look at the victim. He was trying to get away from it but people gathered around him so he couldn’t,’ Sim told the nypost.
‘Jesus, I mean, the woman was bleeding out of ears.’
‘She was moaning, and people were tending to her, like, saying, ‘Are you okay?’ and then she was just moaning all the time on the sidewalk. She was pretty much unconscious, non-responsive,’ Sim recalled.
Long road to recovery and electronic bike rider likely to not face charges
Wiltse told the West Side Rag, which first reported on Jean’s condition Wednesday, that her aunt was checked into the hospital as a “Jane Doe” because she was unconscious.
She had three blood transfusions and also suffered a broken elbow that required surgery and lacerations so deep she needed skin grafts, Wiltse added.
Doctors were still monitoring her condition and her niece said the family expects she will face a long road to recovery. Wiltse said her parents would be traveling from Georgia to be with Jean and had packed for ‘an indefinite amount of time.’
The NYPD, in a statement, said the ’26-year-old male operator of the two-wheeled vehicle remained on scene’ — but wouldn’t say whether he had been ticketed or even confirm whether there was an ongoing investigation Thursday.
Wiltse claims police telling her the are no longer investigating her aunt’s accident. She said cops should look into the witness claims that the e-bike rider was going the wrong-way.
‘If he was traveling the way the laws intended, that’s one thing. That’s something the police should look into.’
E-bike incidents in NYC
Mayor Zohran Mamdani in March issued an executive order ending criminal enforcement of certain low-level e-bike violations and limiting police to civil tickets.
Driving the wrong way would have been a criminal offense for bikers prior to Mamdani’s order — which is now facing a lawsuit from a group of victims who argue the policy has effectively ‘legalized’ dangerous e-bike riding and made New Yorkers less safe.
The episode comes during a spike in collisions involving e-bikes in New York City.
Citywide, there were 514 e-bike collisions so far this year, nine of which were fatal, public records show.
For the same time period in 2025, there were 384 collisions involving e-bikes, six of which were fatal.
Dangers of fast-moving e-bikes
Wiltse described ‘Aunt Jean’ as a ‘vibrant’ family member and a careful runner whose life has been suddenly upended by the crash.
Wiltse has since shared an online fundraising page seeking donations to help her aunt, who just lost her job in April, pay her rent and for travel costs for relatives.
She said she wants her aunt’s case to serve as a warning about the dangers of fast-moving e-bikes.
‘E-bikes can reach speeds of 20+ mph, require no registration or insurance, and are nearly silent on approach. They cause serious injuries daily and there is a general lack of accountability,’ Wiltse wrote on the GoFundMe.
The tragedy has since led to commentators on social media stating that NYC should ban ebike riders in Central Park.
Reflected one commentator, ‘We need to follow the money and find out why e-bikes are allowed in the park. It took so long to get the cars out, now we have these delivery bikes racing around. No enforcement.’
Stated another, ‘They’re vehicles that need to be regulated and registered, and banned from bike lanes.’
While another wrote, ‘… e-bikes are not the only concern. Many cyclists on racing bikes also ride at excessive speeds, sometimes in large groups, behaving as though they are competing in the Tour de France.’
