NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Jordan Chin died today. He was 21 years old.
He was killed in a one-vehicle crash when he lost control of his motorcycle while driving on Memorial Highway in New Rochelle. Police closed streets in the area around Exit 16 of the New England Thruway for hours.
Family members gathered outside the Emergency Room at Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital told Talk of the Sound Chin he was excited about driving his new motorcycle when his license arrived yesterday.
Opal Wilson, an ER nurse at Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital, is Jordan Chin’s mother. She was not on duty at the time of the crash but was dressed in blue scrubs as she spoke quietly with family members and received hugs and support on the driveway in front of the Montefiore New Rochelle Emergency Room. Chin’s father stood on a sidewalk nearby.
Jordan Chin came to the United States from Jamaica when he was 5 years old. He attended public schools in New Rochelle and graduated from New Rochelle High School two years ago, according to his grandmother, Dainty Hall.
His Instagram account (top5_trigga) reads:
“Live life according to your age so begin in my 20’s means exploring the world”.
Chin loved exploring, trying new things and most of all going fast, according to his cousin, Ashlee Nunes.
“He was always a go-getter,” said Nunes. “He was doing what he thinks is best for him, trying to live his life, trying to experiment, to explore.”
“He loved speed. The fast car, the stick shift…,” she said as her voice trailed off.
Chin purchased a 2002 Yamaha motorcycle last week. His motorcycle driving license arrived in the mail yesterday, said Nunes.
Speed appears to have been a factor in Chin’s tragic death Sunday a short distance from his family’s apartment at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Memorial Highway.
Chin was traveling on his new motorcycle, eastbound on Memorial Highway, less than three blocks from his family’s home at 64 Lincoln Avenue, according to police. As the roadway approaches Cross Westchester Avenue it curves sharply to the right before merging into Cross Westchester Avenue then straightening out in the direction of a Metro-North Railroad bridge.
Chin never made the turn. Instead he continued off the road and through the grassy median. His motorcycle’s front wheel struck the curb. The bike continued on its own, through the median, across Cross Westchester Avenue and up an embankment before coming to a rest about 200 feet away from where Chin’s body lay having struck a light pole, likely thrown from the bike when it hit the curb. Chin suffered a fractured skull and damage to other limbs.
Chin was taken by ambulance to Montefiore New Rochelle where he was pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m., according to police.
The New York State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit is assisting NRPD with the investigation, said NRPD Captain Cosmo Costa.
This story will be updated when information on services are available.