State Attorney General Letitia James’s Office of Special Investigation is conducting a preliminary assessment into the death of 15‑year‑old Antonio Benitez, who was fatally struck by a motor vehicle while fleeing police on an electric bicycle on Saturday night, July 12.
Under state law, the office has the authority to investigate and prosecute cases where a police or peace officer may have caused the death of a person, or where there is uncertainty about whether the officer was responsible.
During the preliminary assessment, investigators review evidence to determine if three legal elements are met: whether a death occurred, whether a defined officer was involved and whether the officer’s actions caused the death. This process can take weeks or months, according to the office’s annual report.
If all elements are confirmed, the office will open a full investigation. If any of these are not met, the Office of Special Investigation will close the assessment and notify the local district attorney, who can then assume jurisdiction over the case.
Benitez, of Garden City Park, was riding his e‑bike in North New Hyde Park when he was hit by a 2015 Lexus GX 460 driven by 28‑year‑old Ruyan Ali of North New Hyde Park, who police say was unlicensed and allegedly fled the scene. Benitez was pronounced dead at the scene from severe trauma.
Police said the chase began after NYPD officers in Queens responded to a 911 report of a knife‑point robbery in Bellerose involving a group of teens, one of whom was Benitez. The NYPD and Nassau County Police Department are jointly investigating the collision, with the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division assisting.
Benitez’s family and friends held a vigil at the crash site on Monday, July 14, expressing heartbreak and demanding answers.
“We want to know the truth and why there’s miscommunication about what happened. We want the whole story put together and to know the real cause,” said Benitez’s mother, Daisy Cabrera.
The teen’s death has renewed focus on police pursuit policies.
The NYPD revised its chase guidelines in February, limiting pursuits to cases involving violent felonies and imminent threats to public safety. The department says the changes were meant to reduce risk to civilians and officers during high-speed chases.
In June, the Attorney General’s Office also released new guidance for law enforcement statewide, clarifying how and when vehicle pursuits should be conducted to balance public safety with enforcement priorities.
The report says, “New York should ban police chases in all but two narrow situations: where officers have cause to believe a serious or violent felony has been or will be committed, where a driver’s conduct threatens immediate, severe bodily harm or death to themselves, bystanders, or officers.”
As of Wednesday, the attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation had not confirmed whether it would open a full investigation.
