A violent group of teenage dirt-bike riders disrupted traffic and attacked a car on a busy Staten Island street in a shocking incident captured on video.
The chaos unfolded Wednesday on Richmond Avenue in Bulls Head. Footage reportedly filmed by one of the riders shows roughly a dozen people surrounding a white Honda CR-V.
Several masked attackers kicked and punched the vehicle while it was stopped at a red light, as other motorists watched from their cars.
When the light turned green, the CR-V driver ran over a blue bike that one rider had positioned in an attempt to block the vehicle. The rider was not struck.
The group then chased after the SUV as the person filming shouted, “Yo! Hanky got hit!”
No arrests have been reported. NYPD borough commander Assistant Chief John Buttacavoli, however, warned those involved that they would face consequences.
“We know who you are, and you will be getting a knock on your door very soon,” he said at a Thursday news conference with Borough President Vito Fossella and Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon.
“They descend upon drivers who are just going about their business . . . They’re jackals, they’re teenage terrorists,” McMahon said.
The incident has intensified frustration among local residents who say groups of teenagers have been recklessly weaving motorized bikes through traffic and harassing drivers.
Staten Islanders say the problem has grown significantly over the past year.
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Buttacavoli said police have confiscated “numerous” bikes this year.
Assemblyman Mike Reilly, a Republican who represents Staten Island, attributed the problem to what he called soft-on-crime policies enacted 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 The Post.
He specifically criticized the Raise the Age law, which increased the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18. Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the measure in 2017.
Reilly also cited the 2020 repeal of a 175-year-old state law that prohibited two or more people from wearing masks while gathering in public.
“These kids riding the bikes are wearing masks so they can’t be identified,” he said.
Reilly said Thursday that he plans to introduce legislation in January aimed at addressing reckless riding by minors.
His proposal would make parents financially liable for minors caught engaging in “reckless and dangerous riding of e-bikes, mopeds, ATV and other covered motorized vehicles,” he said in a Facebook post.
Parents could face fines ranging from $250 to $1,500 under the proposal.
“Hopefully this will be enough to have parents take accountability and let their kids know that their actions and behavior have consequences,” he said.
