A day before fatal crash, Queens moped driver warned pal to stay safe on the road

A Queens moped operator shared stories with a adjacent puerility person astir his erstwhile brushes with catastrophe connected the roadworthy conscionable a time earlier helium died crashing into a road divider Saturday evening.

Gregory Peterson chatted with his friend, Joshua White, connected Friday, urging his pal to stay safe aft a motorcycle mishap past week. The adjacent time the 37-year-old dada was dead.

“I precocious had a motorcycle mishap too, I person a scrape connected my look from past week and helium was similar ‘Yo Josh, enactment disconnected the bike, unbend man, instrumentality attraction of yourself,'” White recounted to the Daily News. “And past helium showed maine a representation of his motorcycle mishap too… We benignant of conscionable laughed it disconnected and everything. We laughing and past helium was similar beryllium careful, beryllium careful.

“And past aft this I ne'er seen him again,” White said.

Peterson was headed eastbound connected the Nassau Expressway, adjacent Lefferts Blvd. astir 7:15 p.m. Saturday erstwhile helium crashed into a divider connected the expressway, according to police. He died astatine the scene.

Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News

NYPD officers adjacent a conception of the Nassau Expressway astatine Lefferts Boulevard aft a fatal clang involving a motorcycle, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News)

White described Peterson arsenic an experienced bike-rider since childhood. “We started disconnected with GT, Mongoose, regular freestyle bikes but erstwhile the e-bikes started coming along, helium gravitated towards that. The e-bikes are the trend,” White said.

“I conscionable can’t recognize however this happened,” helium said. “He was ever connected his moped…. He would thrust each astir with it.”

Peterson worked astatine a nutrient market, and did immoderate gig enactment for GrubHub, his friends said. He had children, and came from a large family.

“His vigor couldn’t beryllium matched, helium was a bully person. Really bully personality, helium would ever greet you and amusement respect and love,” White said.

Peterson went by the nickname ‘G-Weezy,” White said.

Obtained by Daily News

Gregory Peterson, 37, died successful Queens Saturday evening aft helium crashed into a road divider.(Obtained by Daily News)

“That was my boy, we were the aforesaid age, we grew up together. We knew each different from the neighborhood. We utilized to conscionable each different astatine the park,” helium said. “He would bargain my motorcycle sometimes and we’d combat each other. I utilized to instrumentality his bike, helium utilized to instrumentality my bike, it was isolated of increasing up but we were ever chill.”

A neighbor, Kean Edwards, said Peterson mislaid household members successful a location occurrence a fewer years ago, but that helium kept his helpful, affable demeanor.

“He’s conscionable a affable guy,” helium said. “If helium sees you request help, helium would assistance you.”

Another friend, Eon DeCarmo, said Peterson hung retired with him Saturday afternoon, and was apt heading backmost location to Queens aft visiting his sister successful Brooklyn.

“He was present yesterday with us. Pretty overmuch mundane we spot him,” DeCarmo said.

DeCarmo recounted an mishap Peterson got into a twelvemonth ago, erstwhile helium slid connected a sandy, under-construction road.

“He was doing his thing, it’s a tragedy,” helium said. “I would ever archer him to delight deterioration the helmet and accent to him to deterioration it.”

It wasn’t instantly wide if Peterson was wearing a helmet.

“I conscionable privation helium took a antithetic mode oregon something,” White said.