Teenagers across the North Shore have been seen playing chicken with motorists by cycling into oncoming traffic, popping wheelies in the middle of the road and more. Photo from SCPD
Suffolk County lawmakers are looking to tackle bicyclists who have been intimidating drivers across Long Island.
There have been several different reports of reckless bicyclists putting themselves and others in danger on the road, which included a group of teenagers who harassed a Terryville gym over the summer.
County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) said she had a “terrifying” experience first-hand a few years ago. While traveling down Route 25A at night, a person wearing all black began popping wheelies toward her car in the middle of the street.
“I wasn’t going fast,” she said. “I chose to stop in the middle of the roadway. It was really scary, and whoever it was, was recklessly trying to frighten me.”
Back in September, county Legislator Rudy Sunderman (R-Mastic) introduced a “reckless biking” bill, which he advanced from Legislator Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) who passed away from cancer that same month.
After talking with other towns and villages in both Nassau and Suffolk counties, Sunderman said that although he represents the South Shore, the issue is widespread across the Island.
“Other areas that we spoke to [with a bill in place] have already seen a decline in reckless biking,” he said.
If Sunderman’s bill passes, it would prohibit cyclists from trick riding or weaving through traffic. Violators could also see their bikes impounded, receive $250 fines, or spend 15 days in jail.
And on the North Shore, Hahn said she had been receiving complaints from other people from the area regarding similar concerns of packs of children doing similar things on Route 112, Nesconset Highway and Middle Country Road.
“It’s dangerous,” she said. “The police aren’t able to do very much. They need a tool to confiscate the bike to individuals who do this.”
But along with concerned residents reaching out, Hahn said she was hearing criticism over Sunderman’s bill from bicyclist groups who use their bikes recreationally.
“The intent is very good, and it is needed to curb this kind of [bad] activity,” she said. “The groups absolutely agree with the fact that anyone who rides in a pack and pops wheelies in traffic, that should happen. But because they’re experienced bicyclists, they see the real danger every day.”
Hahn said she is in full support of Sunderman’s reckless biking bill, but there were a few small pieces to his legislation that she wanted to suggest improvements. Her bill was laid out on Nov. 4.
“Suffolk County is notorious for not being safe for bicyclists,” she said. “The purpose of my law is just to make drivers aware — give the cyclists the room, close your door when someone is passing you, people are not looking out.”
Her bill, which will go to public hearing on Dec. 1, will help drivers of cars and bikes be more educated of the dangers they both could face if they choose to act irresponsibly. A decision, or amending, of Sunderman’s bill will be decided on Dec. 15.
Official sources said constables and a small group of young men got into a physical confrontation in the alleyway beside Chase Bank. Photo from Google Maps
A small group of young people got into a physical confrontation with Port Jefferson constables Wednesday, Sept. 2 after blocking traffic on Main Street. Officials said one code enforcement officer later required a visit to the hospital because of injuries sustained during the incident.
Witnesses said a group of around a dozen young people, some with bikes and some without, stopped at the Starbucks along Main Street sometime after 3 p.m. When some young people went in to get drinks, one got into the middle of the street, stopped traffic and performed a few feats of acrobatics such as a backflip, cheered on by his friends on the sidewalk. Shortly after, the young man then sat “indian style” in the double yellow median in the middle of the busy street.
Bystanders, fearing for the young man’s safety, called code enforcement, who arrived shortly after to confront the young men and get them to move from the street and their bikes from the curb.
In response to a request for details on the incident, Suffolk County Police said a group of teens on bicycles were blocking traffic on Main Street in Port Jefferson just before 4 p.m. Sept. 2 when they were told by code enforcement officers to move out of the roadway. Police said that the teens allegedly did not immediately comply and one of them pushed a code enforcement officer.
Witnesses said the confrontation on Main Street moved to the alleyway beside Chase Bank, where some described that the confrontation became physical between constables and the young bikers. Details from witnesses on what transpired were imprecise, but official sources did confirm there was some kind of violent contact between at least one young man and code enforcement officers.
Deputy Village Attorney Richard Harris said Code Enforcement Chief Fred Leute went to a hospital later that Wednesday night for injuries sustained during the encounter. Harris added that police told the village they were looking into charges. The village is still awaiting any further details from Suffolk County Police.
Village Trustee Kathianne Snaden, the liaison to code enforcement, said the altercation took place between just a few of the young men and code officers in the Chase Bank alleyway. Po
“[Police] have this case now under investigation,” Snaden said.
Police said that 6th precinct officers are still investigating, though they did not reveal if there were any arrests or charges filed.
For months residents have complained about groups of young bikers all across Suffolk County, either them doing tricks in the middle of busy roads or playing chicken with cars. Police have encouraged parents to talk to their children about the dangers of blocking traffic and riding in the middle of roads, but there have been more violent confrontations.
In early August, a large number of young bicyclists numbering around 30, according to witnesses and a now-removed video published to social media, harassed members of the Crossfit DHP gym in Port Jefferson Station. Shortly after that incident, police said two young men, both 15 years old of Centereach, were arrested later at their homes for violent actions during the August altercation. Police withheld the individuals’ names as they are both minors.
Mike Napoli, the owner of Gourmet Burger Bistro on Mill Creek Road, said he has personally had to deal with these young bicyclists on a regular basis throughout the summer. At one point, he said he confronted a group of about 20 who were outside his business when they were hosting outdoor dining.
“There’s families with young children, and [these young bicyclists] are doing wheelies, screaming, cursing in front of these people while they’re trying to eat,” Napoli said. “It’s a bad situation that needs to be stopped. The biggest problem is these kids know they can get away with things.”
The county legislature passed a bill to crack down on reckless bicycling this week, Port Jefferson officials created a village task force that will help prevent problems and keep patrons safe. File photo from SCPD
Village officials have moved to curb reckless biking around Port Jeff by impounding bikes of people they find breaking the code.
At the Nov. 4 board meeting, Port Jefferson officials amended the village code to allow Suffolk County police and code enforcement officers to impound bicycles from reckless riders, including juveniles.
“As an era of common sense is not really operating anymore regarding bicycles, we have heard and seen kids running in front of cars, playing games where they’re hooking onto cars — incredibly dangerous activities out there,” village attorney Brian Egan said. “Vehicles are taking incredibly dangerous maneuvers to avoid these bikes.”
The code’s language forbids persons from trick riding, which usually comes in the form of wheelies, weaving back and forth in traffic or hanging onto automobiles driving on the road. It also forbids people from riding distracted, such as while using a phone or camera, though using a GoPro camera or similar devices while biking is permissible, according to the village attorney.
Acting Chief of Code Enforcement Fred Leute Jr. could not be reached for comment.
Egan said at the Nov. 4 meeting that the law was being “narrowly tailored” to still allow bike riding in the village.
Bikes seized by either code enforcement or Suffolk police are kept in Port Jeff at the Department of Public Works building, with a record of impounding kept by the head of Code Enforcement. A parent or guardian can retrieve the impounded bike on behalf of a minor.
Some residents at the meeting questioned if there were any issues with taking and impounding a minor’s bike, but Egan said it has worked for villages like Babylon.
“In practice, we see from other villages that these bikes never get retrieved,” he said.
Mayor Margot Garant said after they reach a certain number of bikes that are not recovered after a time, they would hold an auction like they have done for kayaks left on village racks after the season is complete. She said the village would likely decrease the price of impounded bikes based on age.
“We have to review the impounding fee, because I think with the kayaks, we didn’t take into consideration an aging timeline, it was one set fee and here we were with all these kayaks,” she said.
In August of this year, the Village of Babylon passed a similar measure to curb the number of reckless bicyclists. That village fined riders over 16 years of age $250 when charged with violating the village code.
The village has yet to set any fines from breaking this new section of the code or for retrieving the bike. Village officials said that decision would come at a future date after discussion, likely the next board meeting Nov. 18.
Teenagers across the North Shore have been seen playing chicken with motorists by cycling into oncoming traffic, popping wheelies in the middle of the road and more. Photo from SCPD
Motorists are discovering a new trend and distraction on local roads. Across the North Shore, teenagers on bicycles have been playing chicken with cars — pedaling into oncoming traffic, swerving their bikes close to vehicles and popping wheelies in the middle of the road. Sometimes they are in pairs and other times in groups of up to a couple dozen.
Children playing chicken with cars has become a hot topic in various Facebook community and parents groups. Members of the Smithtown Moms Facebook group have witnessed 20 children on bikes spreading out across Meadow Road in Kings Park, doing wheelies. In the Three Village area, junior high schoolers were seen cutting off cars at Bennetts Road and Route 25A and laughing about it.
Photo from SCPD
What police officers are doing about it
When it comes to the incidents, Suffolk County Police Department’s 4th Precinct is hoping to get ahead of potential injuries and fatalities in its community as well as the whole of Suffolk County. Officers have compiled a video with clips of teens creating havoc on streets such as Meadow Road in Kings Park, Commack Road near the entrance to Northern State Parkway in Commack and Lake Shore Drive in Lake Ronkonkoma. While the video includes clips from Smithtown, 4th Precinct officers said the cases can be used as examples at any precinct.
The purpose is to use the video to educate parents after officers stop a youth for reckless bicycling. In these circumstances, the law enforcers confiscate bikes and bring the teenagers to the precinct. Parents are then called, according to Deputy Inspector Mark Fisher. He said many ask why the police department is putting so much effort into the trend.
“The realities are it’s a tremendous danger,” Fisher said. “I would say it is as deadly as heroin. In some ways, on a particular day and time, because you are going in front of cars, and you are risking people-on-the-road’s lives. In a lot of ways, it’s a tremendously big deal, because if one 14-year-old gets killed or his life changes dramatically because he’s crippled for life. We want to avoid that.”
Commanding Officer Michael Romagnoli said it’s not a new problem, but the number of incidents has increased over recent months. The police department does not want to dissuade people from riding their bikes, he said, they just want them to do it safely.
“They’re going in front of traffic, trucks, cars. It’s like the thrill of being in that unsafe position that they’re looking for.”
— Captain Karen Kolsch
“We’re not against them riding their bikes,” Romagnoli said. “Bicycling is actually a great sport. I’m not even opposed to the stunts provided that they are not doing it in the middle of a highway or a road. It’s not the location to do that. They are subject to vehicle and traffic regulations.”
Romagnoli said many teenagers might not realize how dangerous it is.
“The control of the bicycle is the steering, the handlebars,” Romagnoli said. “Right now, they are relying on balance, and they are relying on a motorist not to hit them when they are doing that swerve. Because they can’t predict how the motorist is going to react to their actions.”
Captain Karen Kolsch agreed.
“They are not doing the stunts on the side of the road to see how long they can do a wheelie,” Kolsch said. “They’re going in front of traffic, trucks, cars. It’s like the thrill of being in that unsafe position that they’re looking for.”
The officers said the intent of the 4th Precinct’s video, compiled by Officer Kelly Neeb, is to provide an opportunity to educate parents on how dangerous the situations are instead of punishing the riders. In turn, they are hoping the video will create a conversation between parents and teenagers.
Just like many teens take to social media to post their stunts, Neeb takes to the same resources to see what the bicyclists are doing on roads and how parents are reacting to the tricks in Facebook groups. The officer even found one bicyclist post a flyer that was circulating on social media warning children and parents about the dangers. On the Instagram account 631vinny, the user posted about the flyer, “That’s funny. I can honestly care less.”
“To them, it’s a big joke,” Neeb said.
Recently, after the Meadow Road incident where the officers brought the group of bicyclists to the 4th Precinct, parents were upset at the officers when they first arrived to pick up their sons. Fisher said once they explained what the teenagers were doing on the roads, and they showed the parents the video, their anger subsided.
“The last thing we want to do is go to a home and tell their parents that your child was struck by a vehicle.”
— Commanding Officer Michael Romagnoli
What parents can do
The officers said parents need to sit down with their children and ask who they are spending time with and discuss the rules of the road. Bicycles are treated as vehicles, and their handlers must follow the same laws as cars and trucks.
“The last thing we want to do is go to a home and tell their parents that your child was struck by a vehicle,” Romagnoli said, adding an accident between a car and bicycle would be a tragedy to the motorist too.
Romagnoli said as the sun goes down it becomes difficult for drivers to see with little to no adequate lighting on many roads. Due to this, bicyclists need to have lights or reflectors on their bikes, so they can be seen. The commanding officer added that to compound the problem, many riders are not wearing helmets.
Fisher said parents should be aware that most rides start out harmless.
“A lot of this starts as a bike ride, and then it progresses to the stunts,” Fisher said. “They want to outdo each other. They have some games where they get points for certain stunts.”
Neeb also suggested that parents check their children’s social media activity from time to time since some post videos of their stunts or invitations to meet up. She said even conducting general research online can help parents educate themselves as to what is going on with young bicyclists. One YouTube account 631.BikeLife shows some of the stunts.
Kolsch said it’s understandable that parents are glad to see their teens outside doing something physical and may not realize what they are up to.
“A lot of this starts as a bike ride, and then it progresses to the stunts.”
— Deputy Inspector Mark Fisher
“They’re thinking they’re not sitting inside with the Xbox all day and so happy to see them doing something they think is good,” she said.
How motorists can be vigilant
The first step is for motorists to be aware that this is happening on local roadways, and the officers said drivers should treat reckless bicyclists as they would any other hazard in the road. Slow down, stop if you have to and let the hazard pass. They also said to call 911 and to be as descriptive as possible, including descriptions of bikers and bicycles, location, number of riders, if they were swerving, crossing double lines, standing on their bikes or anything else that will help officers.
Romagnoli suggested treating an incident with a reckless bicyclist the same as “following behind someone who may be an intoxicated driver.”
If pedestrians encounter problems with a bicyclist on a sidewalk or while they are crossing a road, they also should call 911.
Motorists should avoid altercations with the bicyclists, and if an accident occurs, especially when a rider has been hit, Kolsch said drivers involved should not leave the scene and make sure to get all witnesses’ contact information.
Anyone with information about such incidents also can call 631-852-COPS.
Spreading the word
In addition to the 4th Precinct officers open to sharing the video with other precincts, Fisher said they also are reaching out to school districts to see if they can show the video in schools to let parents know this is happening.
The officers said while there can be incidents where bicyclists can be brought up on charges or parents can be fined, depending on what transpired and the age of the teenager, they’re hoping to avoid such a situation with the educational video.
“We’re not looking to arrest people,” Kolsch said. “We’re looking to keep people safe.”
