New Jersey driver indicted in Queens hit-and-run that left motorcyclist seriously injured
Queens, NY — A New Jersey man has been indicted in Queens for a hit-and-run crash that left a 26-year-old motorcyclist with lasting injuries after a speeding SUV tore through red lights in Astoria and fled the scene, prosecutors announced.
Moustafa Taher, 21, of Rochelle Park, New Jersey, was arraigned on a 16-count indictment tied to the November 18 hit-and-run at the intersection of 29th Street and Broadway. Prosecutors allege Taher struck the victim while driving with a suspended license, then abandoned the vehicle and falsely reported it stolen in an attempt to avoid responsibility.
According to the charges, Taher was driving a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas SUV northbound on 29th Street shortly before 6 p.m. when he allegedly ran multiple steady red lights. As he entered the Broadway intersection, the SUV struck Deivy Lemus Bustamante, who was traveling eastbound on a 2023 Yamaha motorcycle.
The impact threw Bustamante from his motorcycle, sending him across the intersection. He was rushed to a nearby hospital with severe head and torso injuries, including a cervical spine fracture. Prosecutors said the victim remains unable to walk without the assistance of a cane.
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Taher is accused of continuing down 29th Street without stopping or offering aid. Pieces of the SUV, including a license plate, were left behind at the scene. The vehicle was later found abandoned near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Woodside. Investigators allege Taher left the SUV with another individual and entered a different vehicle.
Roughly an hour after the crash, Taher allegedly called 911 and claimed the Volkswagen had been stolen from another Astoria location. Investigators later determined the SUV had been rented by Taher’s mother and recovered it missing its front license plate.
Data from the vehicle’s recorder showed the SUV was traveling at 43 miles per hour at the time of the crash, well above the 25-mile-per-hour speed limit on 29th Street. Prosecutors said Taher’s driving privileges had been suspended three times at the time of the collision.
Following a long-term investigation by the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad and the Queens District Attorney’s Vehicular Homicide Unit, Taher was arrested in New Jersey on January 13 and extradited to Queens.
Taher faces charges including second-degree assault, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, tampering with physical evidence, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and multiple traffic violations. If convicted, he faces more than 15 years in prison. He is due back in court on March 5.
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Key Points
- A New Jersey man was indicted for a 2023 hit-and-run that seriously injured a motorcyclist in Astoria
- Prosecutors say the defendant was speeding, ran red lights and drove with a suspended license
- The victim suffered severe injuries and still requires a cane to walk
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