Greenwich Seeks To Deter Illegal Street Takeovers With New Ordinance

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich is taking a proactive step to keep illegal street takeovers from coming to town.

Capt. Patrick Smyth of the Greenwich Police Department appeared before the Board of Selectmen last week to request approval for an ordinance on vehicle use and street takeovers.

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A street takeover is an illegal gathering where people block off public roads or intersections so drivers can perform stunts such as donuts or high-speed maneuvers while spectators watch nearby. Such incidents have been reported in Bridgeport, East Haven, New Haven, Trumbull and other municipalities around the state.

The proposed ordinance in Greenwich is in response to Public Act 25-80, which was signed in June 2025 by Gov. Ned Lamont.

Among other provisions, the act authorizes municipalities to adopt their own local ordinances penalizing street takeovers, enabling towns and cities and their local police departments to respond to the specific challenges they face in policing the issue.

The act also empowers municipalities with the ability to destroy vehicles seized from street takeovers.

Smyth explained the proposed ordinance targets two types of unlawful incidents: the operation of recreational vehicles on public property, which includes the unauthorized use of snowmobiles, ATVs, dirt bikes, and mini motorcycles on town streets, parks and other public areas.

The other area is street and parking lot takeovers, which refers to the "coordinated and impromptu actions where individuals block or dominate public streets or parking lots, often for illegal drag racing, stunt driving, or just large unauthorized gatherings," Smyth said.

Greenwich police would be able to seize vehicles involved in either type of incident, and sell or destroy the vehicles. Smyth said the ordinance would provide "a framework for maintaining public safety and deterring future violations."

"The importance of this is that by implementing this ordinance, the town ensures it is not left vulnerable to increased illegal activities displaced from other neighboring jurisdictions," Smyth added. "It complements statewide efforts to curb reckless vehicle use and reinforces community safety."

First Selectman Fred Camillo said the ordinance "is certainly something that makes all the sense in the world."

"We see on the news all the time this is an issue in lots of towns. It seems very foreign because we don't see that here, but it's good to have something on the books here for us to respond right away in case something like that happens," Camillo said.

"Sometimes in these municipalities it happens over and over again, and they almost look helpless, which is ridiculous. I'm glad to see that the police department, as always, is on top of things and being proactive."

Selectwoman Lauren Rabin asked what other nearby communities in Connecticut and New York are doing, and Smyth noted they're pursuing similar measures.

Smyth said the ability to seize vehicles and either sell or destroy them would be a powerful deterrent.

"Giving people a ticket, a lot of times people don't care," Smyth said. "But when you take their vehicle, where they're putting their money into it because they want it to be modified and everything else, that's going to discourage them, plus they won't have it to do it again."

Since this was a "first-read" of the proposed ordinance, the board did not hold a vote.

The item is expected to be revisited for possible action during the next regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 13.