NYPD Officer Seen On Video Crashing Dirt Bike In Harlem Intersection
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Cellphone video showing an NYPD officer crashing a dirt bike in Harlem is under internal review by the department.
In the video posted online, you can see the officer, who's not wearing helmet, blow through a red light. A silver car narrowly misses him.
He then loses control of the bike and falls over.
The bike ends up against a car in the middle of the road.
The officer gets up and appears to be OK, as other cops rush toward him.
The crash happened around 5:40 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of 135th Street and Lenox Avenue.
Police said prior to this, officers saw a man riding recklessly on the bike. When they tried to stop him, the man allegedly ditched the bike, got onto another person's bike and fled.
Officers could be heard over police scanners calling in a group of about 50 motorcycles and ATVs.
Police said the officer in the video was trying to bring the bike back to the precinct.
NYPD rules say a transport truck should be called, but that can take hours, so sometimes it's decided on scene to ride the bike to the precinct, as long as it's deemed safe, DeAngelis reported.
The incident is now under internal review.
"I think he was trying to be friendly and just try to make a friendly approach to it, but I think he went over the line," Harlem resident Corey Wesley told CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis.
"That's pretty bad, man. Why would that cop endanger himself? He endangered that person that was walking across the street. He endangered the person in the car that almost hit him," resident Carl Barely said.
"I think he was doing his job. He was just trying to take it to the precinct," another resident added. "I don't think he did anything wrong."
It is illegal to ride a dirt bike on city streets, because they are not equipped to be registered. However, many people who live in the area said it's still a persistent problem.
"We have that problem every weekend as soon as the weather gets warm. And it's not one, it's like 50, 60, 70 kids on those bikes going up and down Eighth Avenue," one woman said.
"They rev them, they don't have helmets on, it's really dangerous," said Wesley.
Two officers were treated at an area hospital. No one else was hurt.
Police are still looking for the first man seen riding the bike.
