A teenager has died after a crash threw the bicyclist into the Neuse River near New Bern early Tuesday morning.
North Carolina State Highway Patrol officials said a pickup was traveling on the US 17 southbound off-ramp to US 70 East when the driver hit 17-year-old Trace Nobles. The teen landed in the river below. His body was recovered just before noon on Tuesday.
It’s not illegal to ride a bike on the Neuse River Bridge, but there is no designated bike lane.
North Carolina law required bikes to be equipped with reflective equipment that can be seen up to 300 feet away when cycling at night, and officials said Nobles had no reflective gear.