CT Instagram User Arrested for Dangerous Motorcycle Stunts: Cops

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NEW HAVEN, CT - A 21-year-old New Haven man, who state police said operated an Instagram social media account called "Reckless_203," was arrested Thursday for allegedly doing dangerous motorcycle and ATV stunts on Connecticut roads and highways.

State police identified Gabriel Canestri Jr. as the owner of the account, and one of the riders in some of the videos and pictures posted on it, by using landmarks in the clips to determine where many of the alleged reckless driving violations occurred. Among the communities where Canestri Jr. allegedly rode included "from the City of Bridgeport to the City of East Haven on I-95 and I-91," according to state police.

Troopers had been receiving complaints about the dangerous exploits on public roads in the New Haven area and initiated an investigation in November of last year. Using social media, they found the Reckless_203 Instagram account and obtained a search warrant to seize and analyze "a large amount of digital evidence."

The stunts depicted in the videos and pictures were performed on motorcycles, four-wheel all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes not only by Canestri Jr. but by other riders, also. Whether additional arrests are expected was not disclosed.

Canestri Jr. was charged with:

• Reckless Endangerment (15 counts)
• Reckless Driving (23 counts)
• Operating a Motorcycle w/o Face Protection (24 counts)
• Misuse of Registration Plate (1 count)

He was held in lieu of a $50,000 and was scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court last week.

Photo: Gabriel Canestri Jr. Photo credit: Connecticut State Police