At all hours of the night, many neighbors in Berlin, New Jersey, say they can hear screeching, tires peeling, ATVs, dirt bikes, and other off-road vehicles racing through their community.<\/p>\n
“It’s loud. As bad as 12 and 1 in the morning, you’ll see six, seven, eight of them coming by,” Bill Dewey said.<\/p>\n
“It does wake us up from sleep. I have two young kids that go to school in the community, so it wakes us up at all hours of the night,” another neighbor said.<\/p>\n
Berlin police say for weeks now, including this past weekend, they fielded dozens of complaints from people living in New Freedom Village, a 55 and older community, and the Enclave neighborhood in the borough.<\/p>\n
Police say the riders zip through the area next to homes and near the high tension lines, digging up the dirt and riding on private property.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been told by residents they can actually hear and feel the windows rattling as these off-road vehicles are ripping through the neighborhood,” Chief Michael Scheer said.<\/p>\n
Scheer says this is not only a quality-of-life issue, but it’s also a safety concern.<\/p>\n
“Just not a care in the world, just ripping through the backyard, going through neighborhoods, it’s out of control at this point,” Scheer said.<\/p>\n
Police say state guidelines prevent officers from chasing the riders for safety reasons.<\/p>\n
The department is using AI technology, drones and facial recognition trying to identify who is responsible, and once caught, police say the riders will be charged accordingly.<\/p>\n
“You hate to complain and everything, but it just gets worse and worse. It’s not getting any better,” Dewey said.<\/p>\n
“There are specific locations where they can take those vehicles off into the woods, not through residential areas. It’s not going to be tolerated,” Scheer said.<\/p>\n
The Berlin Police Department has increased patrols in the area. Scheer says his officers are following up on leads, and he’s asking neighbors to share any video or information as the investigation continues.<\/p>\n
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