A 16-year-old boy became the first person killed while riding a shared electric scooter in New Jersey when he collided with a tow truck in Elizabeth on Wednesday night.
The boy, identified by a city official as Nelson Miranda Gomez, was riding one of 150 Lime scooters that were made available for public rental in Elizabeth just three weeks ago, according to the city’s mayor, J. Christian Bollwage.
The mayor said a large tow truck was making a right turn from Elizabeth Avenue onto Spring Street at about 8:05 p.m. when it struck the boy, a local resident, who died shortly after the collision.
Even as scooter-sharing programs have become increasingly popular across the country, deaths are still relatively rare. In Nashville, city officials ordered Lime and several other scooter providers, including the ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft, to reduce their fleets by half after a rider who had been drinking was killed in a collision with a car.
In Elizabeth, the minimum legal age for riding the scooter is 18, but they are available throughout the city and can be unlocked by anybody with a smartphone.
The mayor said in an interview that the City Council would discuss potential changes to the scooter program to make it safer, or possibly terminating it altogether.
Mr. Bollwage said the council had unanimously agreed to try the pilot program, but “tragedies always have a way of stimulating an emotional response to an issue.”
He added: “This is the first issue we’ve had, but it’s naturally the worst issue you can have. It’s just tragic.”
The mayor said there had been more than 15,000 rides on the Lime scooters in Elizabeth in the first three weeks. He said the city had approved as many as 400 scooters, but only 150 were available so far. The city shares in the revenue from the scooters, which cost $1 per ride plus 20 cents per minute.
Russell Murphy, a spokesman for Lime, said the death was the first involving one of the company’s scooters in New Jersey.
“We are absolutely devastated by this tragedy and our hearts go out to the victim’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” Mr. Murphy said. “We are in close contact with Elizabeth officials and stand ready to assist in any way we can.”
In late October, Elizabeth became the third city in New Jersey to offer a shared scooter program when it started a six-month pilot program with Lime.
Hoboken started a pilot program in May that ended on Wednesday amid a heated debate about the safety of the scooters, which can be parked anywhere at the end of a ride. Scooters will no longer be available while the City Council decides whether to renew the program.
Several riders were arrested or given tickets in Hoboken for riding while drunk or riding on sidewalks.
In August, Asbury Park, N.J., started a 10-month pilot program with SPIN, a company that competes with Lime.