New York City officials say arrests may be near after video showed masked dirt bike riders surrounding and attacking an SUV on a busy Staten Island street.
The incident happened Wednesday at a traffic light on Richmond Avenue in the Bulls Head neighborhood. Footage showed riders crowding around a white SUV, kicking and striking it. One person appeared to throw an object at the vehicle. As the driver tried to leave, the SUV appeared to run over a dirt bike positioned in front of it.
At a news conference Thursday, NYPD Assistant Chief John Buttacavoli said investigators were collecting information and working to identify those involved. He warned the riders that police knew who they were and that officers would soon come to their homes.
Buttacavoli said the conduct had moved beyond a neighborhood nuisance and become criminal behavior. “It stops here. We’re taking action,” he said.
Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon condemned the riders, saying they were threatening drivers and putting the public at risk. He described them as descending on people simply trying to get where they were going and said the behavior would not be tolerated.
McMahon called the incident outrageous. Based on the information officials had at the time, no one had suffered serious injuries.
Borough President Vito Fossella said the confrontation was part of a wider pattern of dangerous behavior involving motorized bikes. He criticized the riders for frightening motorists and said the activity had to stop. Fossella also urged parents to recognize the risk their children could pose to other people on the road.
McMahon warned that parents could face legal or financial consequences if their children used illegal motorized vehicles to intimidate or hurt someone. His office said parents also had a responsibility to ensure their children behaved safely.
Buttacavoli said police had formed a task force and would keep seizing illegally operated motorized bikes. Officers have identified several people and confiscated numerous bikes this year, he said.
The NYPD reminded residents that some motorized vehicles must be registered and insured, and that operators may need a driver’s license.
State Assemblyman Mike Reilly, a Republican who represents Staten Island, said he plans to introduce legislation in January that would make parents financially responsible when minors are caught recklessly operating certain motorized vehicles. The proposed fines would range from $250 to $1,500.
The investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been announced.
