What happened
Video captured by one of the riders showed roughly a dozen masked teenagers on electric and dirt bikes swarming a white Honda CR-V on Richmond Avenue in the Bulls Head section of Staten Island on Wednesday. The riders kicked and punched the vehicle while it was stopped at a red light as other motorists watched.
When the light turned green, the driver ran over a blue bike that had been used to block the car’s path. The bike’s owner was not struck by the vehicle. The group then sped after the car as the person filming shouted that someone had been hit.
No arrests were made at the scene. At a news conference on Thursday, NYPD Assistant Chief John Buttacavoli warned the attackers that police knew who they were and would be coming to their doors soon. Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon described the riders as jackals and teenage terrorists.
Borough President Vito Fossella joined the officials at the news conference. Local residents told news outlets they were fed up with swarms of teenagers recklessly weaving motorized two-wheelers through traffic and tormenting drivers.
Republican Assemblyman Mike Reilly blamed recent state laws for enabling the behavior, including the Raise the Age statute and the repeal of a longstanding public mask law. He said he plans to introduce legislation next year that would make parents civilly responsible when minors are caught riding e-bikes, mopeds, ATVs, and other covered motorized vehicles recklessly and dangerously.
The report also described similar problems in Los Angeles, where unlicensed teenagers ride high-speed electric bikes and scooters on streets and bike paths while ignoring traffic laws. A UC San Diego study cited by the Los Angeles Times found that e-bike collisions in California rose sharply from 2018 to 2024, with 15.8 percent of injured riders aged 14 or younger.
