Juniper Park race track invaded by crotch rockets

The Wild Ones Redux

This is one of the funniest embarrassing moments of @NYCMayor so far. Illegal ATVs and dirt bike riders disrupting the announcement of the first @LinkNYC sentinel tower in the Bronx.

Now that's what swagger looks like pic.twitter.com/M0xoqcHHOS

— JQ LLC: The Impunity City (@ImpunityCity) July 11, 2022

 

Queens Chronicle

Despite a push from Mayor Adams to address the ongoing issue of ATVs, dirt bikes and other unlicensed vehicles taking over the streets in packs, videos have continued to circulate and complaints to be aired, especially after this past weekend, as traffic again was thwarted by the brigades.

Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) said it has been “three Sundays of absolute terror,” as the collection of unlicensed off-roaders bombard the streets of Rockaway, Broad Channel, Howard Beach, Woodhaven, Ozone Park and even the boardwalks.

She said a combination of 300 to 500 motorcycles, ATVs, dirt bikes and more fly through at high speeds, jump curbs and terrorize neighborhoods.

And the problem, she said, affects the greater Queens County.

Their route, she said, seems to be from the Marine Parkway Bridge, along the Rockaway Peninsula, over the Cross Bay and Addabbo bridges and through Howard Beach and Woodhaven.

Videos shared to social media show the packs blatantly disregarding traffic rules and halting the flow.

Some even take to Facebook to warn others, like one user who posted in the Howard Beach Dads group on Sunday warning Howard Beach residents to stay off Cross Bay Boulevard at that time because what she said looked like over 100 ATVs and dirt bikes were “flying through and driving recklessly” in Broad Channel. She called the scene “unnerving.”

Phyllis Inserillo, co-president of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association and Ariola’s chief of staff, said she was caught in the middle of it on Sunday while trying to turn onto Cross Bay.

“I had the green light to go,” she said. “They had no care in the world. They were giving me the finger ... cursing me out like I was doing something wrong. I could not believe it.”

Then she watched as a woman leaving Cold Stone Creamery got knocked right over on the sidewalk by the motorists, launching ice cream everywhere.

At the end of June, the NYPD and Adams announced in a press conference that nearly 100 of the vehicles had been seized and were crushed and he laid out a summer plan that included appointing patrol borough inspectors to map motorbike ride-outs, hosting weekly strategy sessions, utilizing field intelligence officers to identify storage and meeting spots and analyzing 311 complaints.

Teenage girl dies from injuries from motorcycle crash on Cooper Ave.

NY Daily News

A teenage girl riding on the back of a motorcycle died two days after the 15-year-old boy operating the Yamaha crashed outside a Queens cemetery, police said Thursday.

Alexandra “Allie” Ariza, of Nyack, Rockland County, was seated behind the boy on a 2021 Yamaha motorcycle when he slammed into the front of a Mazda CX-30 just outside St. John Cemetery on Cooper Ave. near 88th St. in Glendale at 3:13 p.m. Feb. 21, cops said.

 Both Alexandra, 16, and the teenage boy were thrown from the motorcycle and found sprawled out on the asphalt.

Medics took the boy to Cohen Children’s Medical Center for a leg injury. Alexandra suffered a head injury and was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where she died two days later.

“Her smile could light up an entire room, and it lit up many!” her family wrote in an online obituary. “Her voice was elegant yet powerful. Though short lived, her life was full of laughter, love and impact! In her 16 years here on Earth, there is no doubt that Allie touched many lives and continued to do so even after leaving this Earth.”

Critical mass motorcycle and ATV gangs dominate Astoria Park.

 

LIC Post

Dozens of illegal riders on dirt bikes and ATVs ripped through Astoria Park Sunday pulling wheelies, revving engines and sending dust flying – before eventually being chased out of the park by police.

The unruly sight, which left park-goers angered – and others covered in dust – occurred at around 6 p.m. at the southern end of the park where families were soaking up the evening sunlight and skateboarders were riding the ramps of the skate park.

A long stream of raucous bikers were seen traveling southbound along a pathway inside Astoria Park before descending on the skate park that was full of young children who were forced to flee for safety, video footage obtained by the Queens Post shows.

One biker pulled a “doughnut” just before entering the skate park which showered people in dust, according to Ben Kennedy, a skateboarder who witnessed the disruptive scene.

“It was a complete dust storm for a couple of minutes,” said Kennedy, who estimated that the group consisted of more than 100 vehicles.

 The bikers essentially forced the pedestrians off the pathway and one mother pushing her child in a baby stroller could be seen waiting for the dangerous activity to subside before accessing the walkway, the footage reveals.

The bikers, Kennedy said, then essentially took over the skate park by driving around the concrete purpose-built area leaving irate skateboarders with no choice but to leave or else face being run down. Many of the bikers were not wearing helmets.

Around 10 cops showed up a few minutes later and chased the bikers away, Kennedy said. He said the police confiscated two dirt bikes at the scene after some riders decided to drop their vehicles in order to evade the cops on foot.

“It actually became even more dangerous when the cops attempted to apprehend the bikers because they started to scramble away at speed,” Kennedy said about the hectic episode.

It is unclear if any arrests were made. A police spokesperson did not have any information pertaining to the ugly incident when called for comment.

Kennedy said that bikers have been driving recklessly in groups at the park since the weather began to heat up this year.

“It wasn’t a surprise to see them and everyone is mystified as to why they are not being stopped,” he said. “It’s not safe.”

Other residents said that the illegal activity has been taking place at the park since last year.

 I'm surprised they didn't show up for AOC's little rally at this same spot a week ago.

 

 

Bill attempts crack down on biker free-for-alls

Form the NY Post:

New legislation targeting rogue motorcyclists in the wake of the vicious beatdown of a Manhattan man in front of his wife and baby daughter will be introduced in the state Senate on Monday.

Sen. Adriano Espaillat, whose district includes Washington Heights, where the violence took place, and Assemblywoman Gabriela Rosa, will propose four bills giving cops and prosecutors new tools to go after reckless bikers.

The bill will apply in the city only, not the rest of the state.

“While the brutal assault caught on video captured the world’s attention, aggressive and reckless motorcyclist behavior in upper Manhattan has been a persistent quality-of-life hazard in our community for years,” Espaillat said.

Rule-breaking bikers have been a particular nuisance in his district because it includes parts of the West Side Highway, FDR Drive, and other major routes.

The first measure would stiffen penalties for a group attack by bikers.

The second would make it illegal for bikers to do stunts like wheelies in traffic.

“Anyone who thinks performing risky maneuvers in the middle of traffic is a good idea should have their license suspended so they understand their actions put lives in danger,” Espaillat said.

A third bill would require groups of 50 or more motorcyclists to get a permit approved by the NYPD.

And the last part of the legislation would shift the power from the state to the city to install cameras on roads. Currently, the state has the power to approve traffic cameras.

A bill was also introduced to increase penalties for those caught driving with suspended licenses.

Motorcycles illegally riding on the paths in Bowne Park

Some bikers backing Comrie over Vallone

From the Times Ledger:

...Comrie was also perched atop a motorcycle — albeit a parked one — outside Borough Hall for a campaign rally.

The lawmaker, while not a motorcyclist himself, earned the respect of other bikers after opposing a 2008 bill proposed by Vallone that would have regulated exhaust noise and allowed police to confiscate bikes after a certain number of infractions.

“Comrie, he was trying to help us fight it,” said Mark Brown, president of the Power Movez Motorcycle Club, where he is known by his nickname “Lunatic.”

“He would be a good borough president because he supports people,” Brown said, going beyond his support for Comrie by questioning Vallone’s riding credentials.

“I heard he just started,” Brown said. “There’s not much of a biker there if he tried to make a law against us and then learned how to ride.”

Vallone’s campaign said the lawmaker rode when he was younger, took a break and returned to the road about five years ago.

In the end, the councilman scrapped the proposed legislation anyway because he could not find a fair way to regulate the exhaust noise, which he said is excessive in some cases.

This post could also double as a caption contest, so be my guest.

Motorcyclists causing problems at Forest Park

From the Daily News:

Rogue motorcyclists who rumble through Forest Park on dirt bikes and all terrain vehicles are giving local residents headaches.

But they aren’t tearing through the sprawling park’s secluded wooded areas. They can be seen popping wheelies and roaring on Forest Park Drive, dangerously close to park lovers trying to barbecue or catch a concert at the George Seuffert Sr. Bandshell.

During an Irish Night concert in June, motorcyclists ran up and down the steps leading to the bandshell, occasionally drowning out the sounds of singer Andy Cooney and his band.

Parks officials said they haven’t received complaints about motorcycles in the park.
But Andrea Crawford, chairwoman of Community Board 9, said drag racing and motorcycle riders have plagued the park for years.

Union officials and park watchers have long complained that Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officers are virtually invisible in Queens parks.

Interesting transportation choices

Flushing Avenue, Maspeth

Metropolitan Avenue, Ridgewood

Halloween caption contest

Thank you for going with jeans instead of tights and a codpiece, Council Member Vallone.

From azipaybarah on Flickr

Flushing garage explodes

From Eyewitness News:

Five people were injured when a garage exploded at a home in Queens.

It happened just before 7 p.m. on 27th Avenue near Murray Street in Flushing.

Apparently the 31-year-old homeowner was cleaning his motorcycle in the garage while a tank of C16 high-grade racing fuel was leaking.

Vapors from the leak somehow ignited and caused an explosion in his garage, which also had several fireworks inside according to police.

The victims suffered shrapnel injuries and burns.

The homeowner suffered burns over 50% of his body.

He is in serious condition at Jacobi Medical Center's burn unit.

The resulting fire burned and destroyed the garage.