Dirt bike mob attacks car on Staten Island, NYPD vows arrests
About a dozen masked teens on dirt bikes swarmed and attacked a Honda CR-V on Richmond Avenue in Staten Island. No arrests yet, but NYPD promises consequences.
Dirt bike gang terrorizes Staten Island drivers, lawmaker pushes parental fines
A mob of roughly a dozen masked teenagers on dirt bikes attacked a white Honda CR-V stopped at a red light on Richmond Avenue in Bulls Head, Staten Island, on Wednesday, NY Post Metro reports. Video of the incident — recorded by one of the riders themselves — shows the group kicking and punching the vehicle while other motorists watched from their cars.
When the traffic light turned green, the CR-V driver pulled forward and ran over a blue bike that one of the riders had placed in front of the car to block it. The rider was not struck. The group then chased the vehicle down the road.
No arrests have been made as of Thursday. NYPD Assistant Chief John Buttacavoli, the borough commander, addressed the attackers directly at a press conference alongside Borough President Vito Fossella and Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon.
"We know who you are, and you will be getting a knock on your door very soon," Buttacavoli said.
McMahon described the riders as "jackals" and "teenage terrorists" who target drivers going about their daily business. Buttacavoli added that police have already confiscated "numerous" bikes on Staten Island this year.
The Wednesday incident has amplified frustration among residents who say the problem of teens riding motorized bikes recklessly through traffic has escalated sharply over the past year.
Assemblyman Mike Reilly (R-Staten Island) attributed the breakdown in order to criminal justice legislation passed in Albany. "This violent behavior has gotten out of hand because of the laws that came out of Albany over the last several years," Reilly told NY Post Metro.
He pointed specifically to the Raise the Age law, signed by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2017, which raised the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18. Reilly also cited the 2020 repeal of a 175-year-old state law that had made it illegal for two or more people to wear masks while gathered in public — a provision he said the riders are now exploiting to avoid identification.
On Thursday, Reilly announced plans to introduce legislation in January targeting underage riders. Under his proposal, parents would be held civilly liable when their minor children are caught engaging in reckless or dangerous riding of e-bikes, mopeds, ATVs, or other covered motorized vehicles. Fines would range from $250 to $1,500.
"Hopefully this will be enough to have parents take accountability and let their kids know that their actions and behavior have consequences," Reilly said in a Facebook post.
Source: NY Post Metro