State police arrested two men — one from West Haven, one from North Haven — for allegedly leading a 100-strong motorcycle highway takeover from New Haven all the way south to the New York state line.
According to a Monday morning press release, at around 11:10 a.m. on Saturday, state troopers from Bridgeport received several 911 calls reporting “a large gathering of Harley Davidson style motorcycles traveling in an erratic manner on I‑95 Southbound in the New Haven area.”
Using state Department of Transportation (DOT) traffic cameras, the state troopers found more than 100 motorcycles traveling on I‑95 southbound in the area of New Haven’s Exit 46.
“While monitoring these motorcyclists through the DOT cameras, Troop G dispatch personnel observed several motorcycles performing various stunts and blocking all travel lanes on I‑95 Southbound in the New Haven, West Haven, Orange, Milford, and Stratford area.”
The troopers monitored the highway takeover via DOT cameras. Through those cameras, they identified a GMC Denali pickup truck with a Connecticut license plate that appeared to be leading the pack of motorcycles. In the rear bed of that truck was a man who was “filming the operation as several motorcycles were continuously engaging in wheelies and stunts.”
State police notified surrounding police departments. A state trooper merged onto the highway in Stratford and drove behind the GMC pickup truck. They observed a Go-Pro style camera mounted on the rear of the truck. There was no longer a passenger in the bed of the truck. “The Trooper also observed the GMC to have a power sliding rear window, making it possible for a passenger to enter and/or exit into the bed of the truck while the vehicle is in motion.”
That same trooper turned on their emergency lights and siren in an attempt to stop the truck. “Simultaneously, a number of motorcycles began to surround the Trooper’s cruiser, intentionally interfering with the Trooper’s efforts to stop the GMC and at times almost striking the cruiser. The operator of the GMC failed to stop and continued to travel Southbound on I‑95 at a high rate of speed. To avoid a potential risk to the public and involved parties, the Trooper deactivated their cruiser’s emergency lights and siren and disengaged from the vehicle.”
The troopers continued to use traffic cameras to track the group’s progress south on I‑95, in the direction of the New York state line. New York State Police succeeded in stopping the GMC Denali truck on I‑95 south near Mamaroneck, New York.
A Connecticut state trooper arrived on scene, and the two agencies identified the truck’s driver as a 26-year-old man from West Haven, and the unsecured passenger in the truck’s bed as a 28-year-old man from North Haven.
“While on scene, the Trooper observed two commercial style cameras in the backseat portion of the truck, which appeared to be covered with clothing items likely trying to prevent law enforcement from observing them. Additionally, the Trooper observed several motorcycle spare tires in the bed of the truck.”
The two men ultimately turned themselves in. The driver was arrested on charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree breach of peace, interfering with an officer, reckless driving, disobeying a signal of an officer, and knowingly inciting a street takeover. The passenger was charged with second-degree breach of peace, failure to wear a seat belt, and knowingly inciting a street takeover.
The driver was released on a $30,000 bond. The passenger was released on a $20,000 bond.