Driver gets jail time for killing cyclist in 2024 Memorial Drive crash

A driver who jumped the curb along Memorial Drive and killed a cyclist in 2024 will serve one year in jail after pleading guilty Thursday to motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation. 

Junming Zhu, 28, told police he was distracted by an insect inside his Mercedes-Benz and lost control of the vehicle before striking John Corcoran on Sept. 23, 2024, according to court documents. 

Corcoran, a 62-year-old Newton father of two, had been riding his electric bicycle on the multi-use sidewalk near Boston University’s DeWolfe Boathouse. His death sparked widespread protests among Greater Boston cyclists and a renewed push for bike safety improvements along Memorial Drive. 

After hearing emotional testimony from Corcoran’s relatives Thursday, Judge David Frank sentenced Zhu to serve one year of a two-and-a-half year jail sentence, with the remainder of that time suspended. Zhu will also forfeit his driver’s license for 15 years. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Corcoran’s widow, Barbara Bower, told The Boston Globe after the hearing that her family is “relieved” Zhu will serve jail time, as they had been bracing for the possibility he might walk free. 

“But it’s always mixed,” Bower added. “Nothing’s going to bring John back.”

Prosecutors had asked that Zhu serve 18 months of a two-and-a-half year jail sentence, while the defendant’s lawyer sought two years of probation and no jail time, court documents show. 

Zhu had previously pleaded not guilty to motor vehicle homicide, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and a marked lanes violation at his arraignment in July 2025 and was released on personal recognizance. Prosecutors dismissed the negligent driving charge as part of Zhu’s plea deal.  

According to charging documents, the Malden resident told Massachusetts State Police he tried to pull over to swat a bug out of his car, drove onto the sidewalk in the process, and struck what he thought was an unoccupied bike. In statement of facts filed alongside the complaint, a State Police trooper called Zhu’s reaction to the insect “completely unreasonable.” 

Prosecutors also said Thursday they recently obtained video footage that suggested Zhu was speeding at the time of the crash, driving about 48 mph in a 35 mph zone, StreetsblogMASS reported.

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between. She has been covering the Lindsay Clancy murder case since January 2023.

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