On Monday morning, elected officials, grieving families, and road safety advocates gathered in West Nyack to mark the second anniversary of the tragic death of 18-year-old Dariel Rivera. Dariel was killed by a speeding driver while riding his scooter to work at FedEx for an early morning shift.
The vigil took place at the crash site on Route 303, where Dariel’s family erected a symbolic “ghost scooter” in his memory. State Senator Bill Weber and Assemblymember Patrick Carroll were joined by Spring Valley Village Trustee Yisroel Eisenbach, whose own four-year-old daughter, Goldy, was killed by an alleged drunk driver, Axel Lopez-Santiago — a repeat offender with a prior DWI conviction in 2018.
Also present was Jerusalem Ramirez, a staff member representing Assemblyman Aron Wieder, who spoke on Wieder’s behalf. Assemblyman Wieder was unable to attend in person due to a meeting in Albany, despite the legislature being out of session.
The Rivera and Eisenbach families stood together with members of Families for Safe Streets, urging lawmakers to pass the Stop Super Speeders bill (S4045/A2299), which would require speed limiters in vehicles driven by repeat speed offenders. Though it passed the State Senate in the 2025 session, the bill remains stalled in the Assembly.
Also discussed was the Defined Safe Passing bill (S1724A/A4346A), which mandates a minimum of three feet between motorists and pedestrians, bicyclists, or wheelchair users when passing. Advocates say both bills are essential to saving lives and preventing future tragedies.
The event was both a heartfelt memorial and a passionate plea for stronger road safety legislation in New York.
