As the “roving bands” of illegal dirt bikes and ATVs [all-terrain vehicles] continued to be seen traversing the north Bronx throughout March, even after one rider was sought for tossing a brick at police officers in Norwood, and a second ATV biker was struck by an SUV in Bedford Park, while potentially fleeing police, the NYPD has stepped up targeted seizures of such bikes, most recently in the vicinity of East Tremont Avenue and Creston Avenue in the Mt. Hope section.

 

Norwood News recently reported how NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) has taken separate public safety measures to address accidents involving e-bikes and other vehicles, after these and other dramatic incidents, including a fatal accident at 1400 Pelham Parkway South in Morris Park involving a motorcycle and an ambulance, rocked the borough last month.

The latest “roving band” was observed in Norwood when an estimated 20 dirt bike vehicles traveled northbound on Jerome Avenue at Mosholu Parkway North towards Woodlawn at 2:40 p.m. on Sunday, March 17.

 

The riders were seen being followed by at least three unmarked vehicles and several NYPD patrol cars and vans. At 3:02 p.m., three ATV riders did a U-turn and began heading southbound along Jerome Avenue.

One rider was observed briefly riding on the sidewalk. This time the bikers were pursued by several police vehicles and an NYPD helicopter overhead.

 

According to police radio transmission, the pursuit of the bikers began on the Grand Concourse in the confines of the 46^th Precinct, which covers some or all of the neighborhoods of Fordham, University Heights, Morris Heights and Mt. Hope, and continued north towards Norwood.

However, when Norwood News later made an inquiry about the pursuit with the NYPD, a police spokesperson said, “There is no report on file based on the information provided in your inquiry.”

 

Around one month prior to the latest pursuit, on Thursday, Feb. 22, at the February 52nd Precinct Community Council meeting held over Zoom, 52nd Precinct Captain José Gomera had told residents in reference to the discussion at the January meeting, “I know the last time we had a lot of complaints about the scooters.”

Gomera shared what the Precinct was doing to address the matter, telling the group that in the prevailing 28-day period leading up to that meeting, officers from the 52nd Precinct had seized 171 scooters, bikes, and mopeds. He said they had also issued 31 summonses, and had made 29 arrests.

 

Gomera went on to say that as of the date of the meeting, since Jan. 1, the 52^nd Precinct had seized 354 illegal vehicles, had issued 48 summonses and had made 45 arrests.

He added, “Confiscating scooters is a dangerous job to do because sometimes these guys flee from us and they could fall, and then it’s going to be on the officers, right, if something happens to the motorist as well, and we also want to prevent anyone from getting hurt.”

 

Later on April 10, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry, wrote on social media, “No more chaos on the streets of NYC! New Yorkers are sick and tired of scooters, mopeds, and dirt bikes being operated recklessly in the five boroughs. Last night, Bronx CRT (community response team) officers were in full force, doing what [New Yorkers] have asked us to do: confiscating illegal vehicles & keeping our communities safe.”

In an accompanying video recorded on the night of April 9, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, Daughtry and other members of the NYPD provided an update on illegal ATVs and dirt bikes seized that evening in The Bronx.

 

“Our Community Response Teams from the Chief of Patrols’ office and the beautiful Borough of the Bronx is here tonight,” said Chell. “April, 9, it was 75 degrees today. We’re on East Tremont and Creston Avenue, doing what the community wants us to do, enforce illegal mopeds, dirt bikes, ATVs and ghost cars.”

Gesturing to a truck full of confiscated bikes behind him, Chell continued, “If you look behind this here, this is our first full rack of the night. We will be out here all night. Bronx CRT is leading the charge. This isn’t easy work.”

 

He added, “Look behind you, cops are working hard, khaki boys [refers to khaki uniform of CRT team] are working hard, the 46th Precinct patrol is working hard, and all under the banner of keeping this community safe and giving them what they want.”

Later in the video, Daughtry says, “Couple of calls tonight for roving bands of illegal dirt bikes, ATVs, scooters, zipping through traffic, in and out of traffic, shutting down streets, shutting down sometimes even the highways in Manhattan, shutting down local roads so they can do their tricks, stunting.”

 

 

Daughtry continued, “Guess what? As you can see, we’re out here today. We’re going to be out here every day it’s nice, and we’re looking to confiscate any illegal dirt bikes or ATVs. We will seize them.”

He concluded, “So, I hope this is a warning to anybody watching this video. You want to come outside? What’s the word we use out here in The Bronx? We outside.. Well, we outside too. All right. So we’ll see you soon. You want to go ahead and bring your illegal dirt bike and ATV, I can promise you one thing; we’re gonna take it.”