Gang Of Rowdy Youths Rides Their Bikes In Middle Of Street, Play Chicken With Cars, Get Bikes Taken Away By Cops, 1 Teen Arrested

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Perth Amboy Police’s seizure of four teenagers’ bikes and the handcuffing of one Black teenager in the city.

Hours after a video circulated on social media showing Perth Amboy police officers stopping a group of primarily Black and Latino teenagers riding their bicycles through the city before confiscating their bikes and handcuffing one of the teens, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey confirmed that his office will be looking into whether any criminal statutes were violated by these actions.

“Every juvenile being taken into custody by law enforcement in Middlesex County is of the utmost concern to Prosecutor (Yolanda) Ciccone and this young person is no different,” Ciccone said in a statement. “What occurred before, during and after the incident depicted is under review.”

Youtube video shows a group of teenagers riding BMX-style bicycles through the streets of Perth Amboy, at a few points weaving into the wrong side of the road and riding against traffic.

Throughout the more than 17-minute version of the video shared on Youtube, the teenagers are seen popping wheelies with their bikes as they ride in the middle of the streets.

The group of cyclists grew to more than a dozen, but the group split up after police cars began trying to stop the bikes, which ultimately led to one of the riders being handcuffed and his bike seized.

At one point in the video, several Perth Amboy police cars are seen tailing the group of teens before they ride into a park.

Later in the video, an officer orders them over a speaker and they oblige on an unidentified street."

An officer gets out and talks to the group of four to six cyclists, alleging that a group of cyclists were creating a disturbance in traffic for drivers who couldn’t get around the large group.

“You guys are supposed to have licenses and all that kind of stuff,” the officer is heard telling the group. “Guys, we don’t make the rules. You guys know when there’s 30 or 40 of you together, it creates a problem for people driving.”

Several times, the first officer tells the group the police would not be taking their bikes, but that the group would eventually need to get licenses for their bicycles. License tags are required for bicycles, according to the Perth Amboy municipal ordinance.

Shortly after, the video cuts to another officer reaching for the handlebars of two of the teens’ bikes, before ordering that other officers confiscate the teens’ bikes.

“Take their bikes,” the officer, who is identified as a sergeant, is heard saying.

One teenager refuses to give the officers his bike, arguing with the sergeant. The sergeant threatens the teen with arrest if he does not get off and hand over his bike, then he is handcuffed and put in a patrol car moments later, according to the video.