Riders Swarm Staten Island Car as Assemblyman Proposes Parent Fines

The group converged on a white Honda CR-V at a traffic light in Bulls Head, kicking and punching the vehicle while other drivers watched. When the light changed, the driver moved forward and ran over a blue bike positioned in front of the car. Its rider was not hit. The riders then followed the Honda, with the person filming shouting that someone had been struck.

No arrests had been made by November 12, when NYPD Assistant Chief John Buttacavoli said police knew the riders’ identities and expected to contact them. He also said officers had seized numerous bikes this year. Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon described the group as targeting people traveling on their way.

Assemblyman Mike Reilly, a Staten Island Republican, said he would introduce legislation in January making parents financially responsible when minors are caught riding e-bikes, mopeds, ATVs or other covered motorized vehicles recklessly. His proposal would set fines from $250 to $1,500.

Reilly blamed state laws, including the 2017 Raise the Age law, which increased the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18, and the 2020 repeal of a law restricting public mask-wearing by groups. He said masks make riders harder to identify. The incident comes amid complaints from Staten Islanders that groups of young riders have increasingly weaved through traffic and harassed drivers over the past year.

Staten Island Attack Demands Safety Measures, Not Just Blame

A group of about a dozen riders attacked a Honda CR-V at a Staten Island traffic light, kicking and punching the car before pursuing it as it drove away. The November 11 incident raises an immediate public-safety issue; turning it into an argument against youth protections does not explain or resolve the behavior.

At a November 12 news conference, NYPD Assistant Chief John Buttacavoli said police knew who the riders were and expected to contact them. He said officers had seized numerous bikes this year. District Attorney Michael McMahon condemned the group’s targeting of drivers.

Assemblyman Mike Reilly plans to propose fines of $250 to $1,500 for parents of minors caught riding motorized vehicles recklessly. He also blamed the Raise the Age law and the repeal of a public mask restriction. Those laws do not excuse an attack, but invoking them shifts attention from identifying the riders and addressing their conduct to undoing broader policies.

The Honda’s driver ran over a bike used to block the car; the rider was not hit. No arrests had been made by the news conference. Reilly’s bill is expected in January.

Staten Island Bike Mob Shows the Cost of Lenient Laws

About a dozen riders swarmed a Honda CR-V at a Staten Island intersection, hitting the vehicle and chasing it after the driver moved forward. The November 11 attack is a stark example of the disorder Reilly says state lawmakers have enabled by weakening accountability for young offenders.

NYPD Assistant Chief John Buttacavoli said police had identified the riders and would soon contact them. Officers have confiscated numerous bikes this year, he said. District Attorney Michael McMahon condemned the group’s targeting of drivers simply going about their business.

Reilly blamed the 2017 Raise the Age law, which moved the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18, as well as the 2020 repeal of a law limiting groups’ public mask-wearing. He said masks make riders harder to identify. Those policies deserve scrutiny when residents say reckless riding and harassment have grown markedly over the past year.

Reilly intends to introduce a bill in January that would make parents civilly responsible for minors caught riding e-bikes, mopeds, ATVs and other covered vehicles recklessly. Proposed fines would range from $250 to $1,500. The rider whose bike was run over was not struck, and no arrests had been made by November 12.