PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Car, dirt bike and ATV meet-ups tend to ramp up over the warmer months in Philadelphia, creating nuisances for residents and chaos for law enforcement. Videos on social media show cars zooming up and down busy roads like Spring Garden Street or Cottman Avenue with little regard for pedestrians or other drivers.
Philadelphia police are not allowed to chase after these vehicles.
“They are high-performance cars and it’s far too dangerous,” said Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Cram, who is in charge of patrol operations. “God forbid one of them lose control, they are going to run over whoever is standing outside.”
So, they’re using a different tactic: They’re towing them and making arrests when necessary.
Last week, a police officer was surrounded by about 100 vehicles. Three teens — all from outside counties — were arrested and charged with conspiracy and related offenses.
“They tried to block the car,” said Cram. “One of them pushed an officer who was actually taping and got a lot of good video.”
Officials later confiscated several cars from that meet-up. So far this year, Cram said the police department has taken more than 180 cars, dirt bikes and ATVs. In 2023, police confiscated about 180 for the entire year.
The department has a patrol that solely focuses on these meet-ups every weekend. Cram said if you encounter one, stay in your car, call 911, and be mindful of your safety.
“They are doing spin-outs … drifting, racing. They have performance cars, they are going at great speeds. They don’t care about who’s around them,” he said.
“Don’t try to intervene. Don’t try to go through them. They are disrespectful to [police] — imagine what they are going to do to you.”