Anthony Benitez Cabrera was the kind of teenager other parents wanted their children around — sweet-natured, active in school sports and eager to lend a helping hand, according to people who knew him.

When Benitez Cabrera, 15, was killed in an alleged hit-and-run in North New Hyde Park on Saturday night while fleeing New York City police on his electric bike, the news cut through the tight-knit community. Shopkeepers, educators, school staff, friends and neighbors jumped into action, quickly raising more than $30,000 to pay for funeral costs the boy’s family would otherwise struggle to afford.

Close friends and community members said they felt the pain of his loss hit twice: first, when they found out he had died Saturday night, and then after police said he was connected to a knifepoint robbery on Hillside Avenue in Floral Park. It’s a story that friends said did not jibe with the kindhearted teenager they knew, leaving them with many unanswered questions.

The death is being reviewed by the NYPD’s Force Investigations Division, which probes whenever a weapon is fired and when a person in police custody is killed or injured seriously enough to where death is likely. The Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation is also conducting a preliminary review of the death, according to a spokesperson.

Photographs of Anthony Benitez Cabrera displayed by his mother during a vigil on Monday evening.

A pursuit after a 911 call

Benitez Cabrera was being pursued by NYPD officers from the 105th Precinct who had earlier responded to a 911 call about a robbery with a knife just past 8 p.m. Saturday on Hillside Avenue near 257th Street in Floral Park.

Responding officers spotted Benitez Cabrera, who matched a description of one of the alleged robbers of a 14-year-old victim, and tried to approach him, according to a law enforcement official who did not want to be identified because he wasn’t authorized to speak about the case. The suspect then fled on his e-bike, the official said, with police pursuing in a marked car. Benitez Cabrera was struck and killed less than two miles from the Hillside Avenue location, at Lakeville Road near Bryant Avenue in North New Hyde Park, according to police.

An unlicensed driver, Ruyan Ali, 28, hit Benitez Cabrera with his SUV after crossing over from the southbound lane of Lakeville Road into the northbound lane and passing another car, according to the criminal complaint.

Photos from the crash scene show the e-bike wedged under the SUV. Police tried lifesaving measures, the official said. Ali pleaded not guilty to charges of leaving the scene of an incident with death, aggravated unlicensed operation in the second degree, failure to return license and multiple other traffic violations.

Under police reforms announced in January by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, officers can engage in pursuits in instances of violent felonies and misdemeanors, but not traffic infractions.

The NYPD has initiated the practice of using aviation units and bridge and tunnel blockades to reduce the need for hot pursuits. The new policy had been under consideration for over a year before Tisch, who took over in late November, signed off on the announced policy changes in January.

Benitez Cabrera's family said they were too distraught to comment.

In interviews, friends and parents who knew Benitez Cabrera, a rising sophomore at New Hyde Park Memorial High School, challenged the police narrative.

At the high school, Benitez Cabrera was on the junior varsity football team and lacrosse teams. In classrooms and hallways, he often used his native Spanish speaking skills to guide non-English-speaking students through the building, Rosemary DeGennaro, the high school principal, told Newsday on Tuesday. DeGennaro recalled meeting him in seventh grade when he was awarded a certificate for helping a student who was lost.

"Anthony had done something really nice, and he was being the great gladiator. We were very proud. Not many students get that award, but Anthony was certainly someone who was always kind to other students," said DeGennaro, adding the school and the wider Sewanhaka Central School District were reeling from his sudden death. On Monday, grief counselors were in the building to help students cope.

The school opened Thursday for students to create memorial boards for Benitez Cabrera to be displayed at his wake on Sunday. His funeral is Monday.

"We are grieving this week the loss of such a fine, young man," DeGennaro said.

Nassau police investigate following the crash on Sunday.

A devastating loss

Off the field, Benitez Cabrera was known for performing impressive stunts on his electric bike, a Talaria X3, according to his friends. He shared several videos on social media of his quick-footed wheelie combos, which have now garnered tens of thousands of views and a flood of condolences.

"He always pushed everybody he loved to be better," said Jonathan Rivera, 15, recalling Benitez Cabrera accompanying him to sell his bike a month ago. His quick mastery of tricks on his e-bike drew lots of admirers, Rivera said.

"He was one of the best I think in this county," Rivera said. "And he was such a fast learner. He would learn tricks in one day."

Rivera was at the crash site at Lakeville Road near Bryant Avenue on Monday with about a dozen students who had gathered to mark their grief. There, a photo of Benitez Cabrera hugged a utility pole, and a white helmet clung above it. Mourners left handwritten messages, flower bouquets and glass-encased candles.

Echoing other young friends and school parents, Rivera had trouble grasping police allegations Benitez Cabrera could have been linked to a crime.

"He would never put himself or anyone else in that situation," Rivera said.

The impact of the loss was evident Monday evening during a vigil at the scene, where Nassau County police taped off a section of the roadway to make space for the dozens who attended. Some came clutching white balloons or T-shirts marked "Forever 15." Members of his football team showed up. So did the group of friends he biked with. Benitez Cabrera’s mother, Deysi Cabrera, arrived, clutching a framed photo collage of her son, her cries piercing through the crowd. At one point, she sat on the ground holding a Virgin Mary and baby Jesus figurine as relatives prayed. She later released a white balloon that read "I love you son" in Spanish, weeping as it joined other balloons in the sky.

"He had determination in life," said Andrea Hansman, 48, whose daughter was in the same class as Benitez Cabrera. "This community is supporting them so much because he was a good kid. People are calling from different countries because it’s a big loss," said Hansman, who has been helping the family with funeral arrangements.

Hansman was one of several parents who were quick to defend Benitez Cabrera’s character. Marlon Burgos, 62, attended the memorial with his 15-year-old son, who was also friends with Benitez Cabrera.

"I’ve been living here for 30 years and we are all pretty close. This is tragic for us. He’s a sweet, loving boy. My son and him play ball, cycle together. ... We just can’t believe this is Anthony, the kid that we know," Burgos said.

Lori Hudson, 53, whose 16-year-old son, Luke, was close to Benitez Cabrera, helped organize a GoFundMe page and said the outpouring of support is a testament to Anthony's true spirit. Hudson said her son and Benitez Cabrera were part of a loose group of young teens who enjoyed riding bikes around the area, stretching from Irwin Altman Middle School 172 in Floral Park, Queens, to New Hyde Park. While her son was not with Benitez Cabrera the evening he was killed, she said the group of teen bike riders would often scatter when they saw police because some had unregistered electric bikes they didn’t want confiscated. The police suggestion he would be involved in a crime was damaging to his reputation and his family, she said.

"He would never do something like this. I just think they were at a place at the wrong time and, unfortunately, they did run and it turned out to be something very unfortunate," said Hudson, of New Hyde Park.

Meanwhile on Thursday, three blocks away from the scene of the reported robbery, a woman recounted witnessing the police pursuit unfold on Saturday night. The Floral Park mother, who declined to go on the record fearing police retribution, said she met Anthony and his friends at the park about two years ago and saw them riding bikes four to five days a week there. On Saturday evening, she was watching her son play soccer from her car parked on 256th Street when the teens rode up around 7:50 p.m. and greeted her as they usually do.

"They were casual. They were doing their tricks. They came over and said 'Hi, what are you doing,' " she said, not sensing any urgency.

About 10 minutes later, a police car pulled up the block and turned its sirens on as it passed her car, she said. "I saw the pursuit with my own eyes. The police came, the kids took off and the police flew after them. They screeched their tires," she said. "I had a feeling something terrible would happen."

Newsday's Janon Fisher contributed to this story.

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