Family warns of E-bike battery risks after explosion, fire kills teen

CROWN HEIGHTS (WABC) -- The family of an 18-year-old who was killed in an apartment fire caused by a lithium-ion battery is sharing his story in hopes of preventing similar tragedies. Caleb Matthews was charging his e-bike in his family's apartment in Crown Heights when the battery suddenly exploded , according to his family. FDNY officials said a lithium-ion battery started the fire inside the 12th-floor apartment. Matthews, who had recently graduated from high school with honors, was killed. "I'm here. It doesn't feel real to me, I'm still praying and hoping it's a nightmare or dream I can wake up from," Angelica Welch, Matthews' mother, said.

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Scoop News DeskCrown Heights, New York · Published Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at 10:57 PM UTCUpdated Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 8:03 PM UTC

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Family members gathered Tuesday outside the Albany Houses on Troy Avenue in Crown Heights, where Matthews died Aug. His family described him as wise beyond his years and remembered the close bond they shared through family bike rides. "We used to ride the e-bikes all the time, over the Brooklyn bridge, over the Manhattan bridge, go hang out in the city, ride up the West Side Highway, that was an adventure the three of us liked to do," Joseph Matthews, Caleb Matthews' father, said.

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