Two people were killed early Friday when the motorcycle on which they were riding slammed into a concrete barrier on an elevated expressway in Brooklyn, flinging them off the side of the highway and onto the ground more than 30 feet below, police say.
Brooklynites Jose Chevere, 30, and Jalissa Otero, 24, were both killed after the crash on the Gowanus Expressway near 17th Street and Third Avenue in Gowanus at about 2 a.m., according to the NYPD.
Police say that the pair died after Chevere, who was driving a Kawasaki motorcycle with Otero riding on the back, failed to navigate a curve and lost control.
The motorcycle then hit the barrier and both he and Otero were thrown from the bike. They fell 36 feet, hitting the street below the expressway.
Both Chevere and Otero had apparent body trauma and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Several of Chevere and Otero's friends told NBC 4 New York that they were on a group ride on the highway Friday morning before the crash. Some said they saw the crash unfold.
Friends say that Otero was the single mother of a 6-year-old boy and that she worked two jobs.
Local
Part of the Gowanus Expressway was closed while NYPD accident investigators worked, but the highway reopened for the morning commute.
