Suffolk police seize five electric dirt bikes in safety crackdown
Police took five e-dirt bikes from Selden and Mount Sinai as Suffolk’s crackdown grew after nearly 100 tickets and new rules on helmets, speed and age.
Suffolk County police seized five electric dirt bikes from Boyle Road in Selden, Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai and Middle Country Road in Selden over the weekend as the 6th Precinct Community Support Unit stepped up enforcement against illegal off-road riding. The impounds came in residential and beach-adjacent spots where neighbors have complained about unsafe use, and county officials have tied the crackdown to crashes and injuries involving e-bikes and e-scooters.
The county’s new rules, which took effect in April under Local Law No. 6-2026, require every rider to wear a helmet, set a minimum age of 16, cap speed at 20 mph and bar riding on sidewalks or on roads with speed limits above 30 mph. Police can also confiscate or impound a vehicle for reckless or impaired riding, a penalty that Suffolk officials say is meant to get dangerous machines off the street and out of parks and trails.
Suffolk began full enforcement on March 1, and by April 23 police said they had issued nearly 100 tickets for e-bike and e-scooter violations. Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina has said the department is taking illegal e-bike operation very seriously, while county leaders have said the law is meant to protect both riders and the public as complaints have grown across Suffolk communities.
The crackdown followed a unanimous vote by the Suffolk County Legislature in December 2025 and County Executive Ed Romaine’s signature on Dec. 30, 2025. Local officials cited two fatal crashes and 14 serious-injury crashes earlier in 2026 as part of the reason for tightening the rules, and Stony Brook University Children’s Hospital reported a more than 900% increase in trauma cases involving e-bikes and e-scooters between 2023 and 2025.
Some residents have backed tougher enforcement and said parents need to take more responsibility when children are using the bikes. With police now seizing vehicles in places from Selden to Mount Sinai, Suffolk’s test is whether tickets and impounds will curb the complaints that pushed the county to act.
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