19 ATVs & Dirt Bikes Seized In Mercer County Crackdown

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Police arrested five people, seized 19 vehicles, and issued 70 citations during a crackdown on illegal ATV and dirt bike riders in Trenton and Hamilton Township on Sunday, authorities said.

The Trenton Police Department, Hamilton Township Police, and New Jersey State Police conducted the joint operation on Sunday, targeting off-highway vehicles — including ATVs, dirt bikes, and mopeds — that had been recklessly riding on city and township streets.

Both departments said they had received dozens of complaints from residents about riders creating hazardous conditions for vehicles, pedestrians, and children.

During the operation, officers surveilled a group of approximately 50 dirt bike, ATV, and moped riders after the group surrounded officers investigating an accident involving an ATV and a police vehicle near Oakland Street and Prospect Street.

The group was tracked through city streets, Hamilton Township roads, and into Cadwalader Park, where officers moved in — at which point all of the riders fled.

The five people who were arrested face charges of disorderly conduct, obstructing administration of law, resisting arrest, and eluding. The 19 vehicles seized — all dirt bikes, ATVs, and mopeds — were unregistered, uninsured, and observed operating recklessly on public roadways, police said.

Authorities also addressed misinformation circulating on social media, stating that no riders were struck, run over, or injured during the operation.

Anyone with information can contact Det. Lt. David Ordille at 609-989-4152 or dordille@trentonpolice.net.

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