A Gang of Unruly Young Men Drive Quads and Dirt Bikes Through Gloucester City
Monday, June 05, 2023
6ABC video image of illegal ATV and dirt bike drivers riding through the City of Philadelphia last summer.
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (June 5, 2023)(CNBNews)--We received a tip on Sunday (June 4, 2023) about a group of young men speeding on Johnson Blvd. with no regard for pedestrians or traffic. The man who submitted the information below requested his name be withheld.
Around 530 this evening a group of at least 12-15 young men driving quads and dirt bikes drove down Johnson blvd. Doing wheelies and showing no regard for stop signs. Children frequent the ball fields and courts in this area. Didn’t call the police because they be gone by the time they arrived. Just wanted the general public to be aware of this issue
For many years Philadelphia and other large cities across the United States have been terrorized by large groups of young men who drive unlicensed quads and dirt bikes through their communities. They show no regard for traffic laws and could care less if their actions end up killing someone.
Not satisfied with just tormenting metropolitan cities they have now moved into urban communities such as Gloucester City as well.
Last summer and in the fall we witnessed similar incidents like the one described by the man who sent us the tip.
From a CNBNews article dated November 13, 2022.
An unwelcome group of young men in their 20s and teens driving unlicensed ATVs and Dirt Bikes visited Gloucester City last weekend, riding up and down Broadway at a high rate of speed.
On Sunday, November 6, (2022) a group of these individuals got gas at one of the gas stations on Broadway at Market Street. An individual told us that a police officer was stopped at the other gas station across the street, also getting gas. "This guy on an ATV does a wheelie and spins towards the cop car, hitting it. The cop did nothing. I asked him why he didn't give the ATV driver a ticket. The cop told me they had been instructed not to ticket these people or arrest them."
We contacted Police Lt. Jason Flood, spokesman for the department, via email and asked him about the alleged incident. We also asked the lieutenant if the Gloucester City Police had a standard order not to arrest these individuals. And is it true the department has instructed its officers not to chase them?
Flood said, "Could you provide that person with my office number (856) 456-0901 x1112? I want to speak with them about the alleged incident. Officers may certainly stop offenders for motor vehicle offenses, issue the appropriate tickets, and impound unregistered vehicles operating on a public road. No orders to the contrary were issued. However, the New Jersey Attorney General severely restricts initiating a pursuit for motor vehicle offenses in the Use of Force Addendum B- Vehicular Pursuit Policy (Please see the attachment).
After reading the first part of the NJ Attorney General’s 16-page Addendum, we understand why Gloucester City police are in a no-win situation when dealing with gangs riding ATVs and other vehicles illegally on local streets.
Below is an excerpt of the NJ Attorney General's 16-page Addendum:
Deciding Whether to Pursue
3.1 A law enforcement officer has the authority, at all times, to attempt the stop of any person suspected of having committed any criminal offense or traffic violation. When the violator does not submit to the officer’s lawful authority and bring the vehicle to a stop, the officer must determine whether to pursue that violator by continuing to attempt to stop the violator utilizing pursuit driving as defined herein. The officer's decision to pursue should always be undertaken with an awareness of the degree of risk to which the officer exposes law enforcement and the community by engaging in a vehicular pursuit. The officer must always weigh the need for immediate apprehension against the risk created by the pursuit.
3.2 A law enforcement officer may only pursue under the circumstances described in subparagraph A or subparagraph B:
(a) when the officer reasonably believes that the violator has committed, or is engaged in a conspiracy or attempt to commit, any crime of the first degree or one of the following violent or serious crimes of the second degree:
(1) Manslaughter, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-4;
(2) Vehicular Homicide, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5;
(3) Aggravated Assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(b);
(4) Disarming a Law Enforcement Officer, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-11;
(5) Kidnapping, N.J.S.A. 2C:13-1;
(6) Luring/Enticing a Child, N.J.S.A. 2C:13-6;
(7) Human Trafficking, N.J.S.A. 2C:13-8;
(8) Sexual Assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2;
(9) Robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1;
(10) Arson, N.J.S.A. 2C:17-1;
(11) Burglary, N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2;
(12) Escape, N.J.S.A. 2C:29-5.
(b) when the safety of the public or other officers. This determination shall be made based upon the violator’s actions or operation of the vehicle prior to the initiation of the attempted motor vehicle stop. The violator’s subsequent actions, including speeding or evasive driving during the pursuit itself, although often supporting the criminal charge of Eluding, N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2(b), shall not constitute an authorization to initiate or continue a pursuit.
3.2.1 Pursuit for motor vehicle offenses is not authorized under Paragraph 3.2 unless the violator’s vehicle is being operated so as to pose an imminent threat to the safety of the public or other officers and that threat is based on the violator’s actions or operation of the vehicle prior to the initiation of the attempted motor vehicle stop. There shall be a strong
See the complete mandate HERE.
EDITOR'S NOTE: We ask anyone who encounters these individuals to take a photo of what they see and send it to [email protected].
If a photo isn’t possible, we ask that you send us an email describing what you saw and where it was. Your name will not be published.