Video shows ATV rider crash into New Haven police cruiser


Footage released Wednesday afternoon shows an ATV rider crash into a New Haven police cruiser.

By Evan Sobol
Published: May. 1, 2024 at 3:55 PM EDT | Updated: May. 1, 2024 at 10:57 PM EDT

NEW HAVEN, CT (WFSB) – Footage released Wednesday afternoon shows an ATV rider crash into a New Haven police cruiser. ... Authorities said the crash happened around 3:40 p.m. Sunday on Farnum Drive. ... Police were addressing complaints of people illegally operating dirt bikes and ATVs in the city. ... “Officers responded to the area of East Rock Park on the reports of a group congregating there and used Farnam Drive to access the park,” said New Haven police. ... Farnum Drive has been open to just pedestrian traffic since 2020. A large number of people, including families with children, were in the area.

Officers noticed an ATV rider going down the road at a high rate of speed toward the pedestrians, police said. ... “The officers slowed the cruiser and angled it to protect the families and pedestrians they had just passed while providing a point of egress to the side of them for the oncoming ATV to pass the cruiser,” said police. ... Authorities said the ATV rider lost control and hit the front passenger side window of the police cruiser.

“It’s obvious that they’re going too fast and they shouldn’t be on the pedestrian roads in the first place,” said Olivia Brinks, New Haven. ... “They [the ATV] didn’t have control over stopping the vehicle. If something was in the way, that could’ve been a person too,” said Casey Wizner, New Haven. ... The ATV rider was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. ... Residents in New Haven say dirt bikes are a common sight on a path they’re not supposed to be on. ... “They drive pretty fast, it seems like they’re racing or just playing around, but it feels a little dangerous.”

This is an unfortunate and stark reminder of the extreme dangers of illegal ATV and dirt bike riding on city streets, both for pedestrians and the operators of the vehicles themselves. Our police officers engaged in a potentially life-saving maneuver on behalf of this family that was in harm’s way. While we’re glad the family was protected from harm, what happened to the driver is tragic, and we hope for his complete and speedy recovery and we urge the public not to engage in this type of activity.
-- New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson

While the video has received backlash on social media, Chief Jacobson said the cruiser’s lights were on and the officers handled the situation the right way. ... “They hear an ATV coming in their direction, they move over to the left side as a way to shield the people behind them,” Chief Jacobson said. “The officer wasn’t traveling at any speed when the incident happened and then the officer also gave an area of egress, meaning they could’ve gotten around the police car.”

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DASHCAM VIDEO: ATV rider crashes into New Haven police cruiser

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DASHCAM VIDEO: ATV rider crashes into New Haven police cruiser (Credit: New Haven Police Department)

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