PASCACK VALLEY—Both Park Ridge and Westwood police went on Facebook Sept. 3 with the same warning: those dirt-bike-style electrics zipping around town aren’t e-bikes—and officers are taking them off the street.
Park Ridge said impounds have piled up so fast the garage “is starting to look like a used electric motorcycle dealership.” Westwood said recent seizures followed use on municipal fields and unsafe speeds on park paths.
The rule of thumb from both departments is simple: if it doesn’t have pedals, it’s not an e-bike. In New Jersey that makes it a motorized cycle, which means license, registration, and insurance—none of which the typical 12–16-year-old rider has.
News12 reported Friday that Park Ridge has confiscated six of these machines in the past two weeks. Police there said the model they’re seeing is the Talaria TL-2500—sold as a roughly $3,000 motorcycle best used off-road—and capable of speeds up to 60 mph.
“We want to educate these parents on what they’re allowed to have and what they’re not,” Park Ridge Lt. James Babcock told the station, adding most parents don’t realize what their kids are operating.
News12 also noted a July crash in Montvale in which a 15-year-old on one of these vehicles survived a collision with a car; a string of deadly e-bike crashes statewide has some lawmakers floating ideas such as mandatory training and insurance.
On Sept. 5, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) announced a federal E-Bike Safety Plan to address the rise in youth crashes, citing a 293% jump in e-bike injuries nationally since 2019. His proposal calls for helmet campaigns, safety training, and new state-level plans, but local departments say their immediate message is simpler: if it doesn’t have pedals, don’t expect it to pass as a bicycle.
Local voices
Resident reaction has been loud and mixed. Many thanked police and described packs of teens popping wheelies, cutting through lots, and riding on sidewalks at startling speeds. Veteran riders said the machines can be a blast but argued riders need real training and clearer statewide standards.
Others pressed for car-driver vigilance around quiet bikes. A few pointed to the gray area—some models ship with tiny “token” pedals that rarely get used—and asked for a straightforward path to register the dirt-bike-style electrics for permitted teens, moped-style.
Several wanted to know if impounded bikes will be auctioned; as of the posts, neither department said so.
For clarity: New Jersey treats Class 1/2 e-bikes (pedals, less than or equal to 750W, up to 20 mph) and e-scooters differently from motorized bicycles/mopeds. The former don’t need plates or insurance; the latter do, and a licensed, helmeted rider.
Police emphasize the basics either way: follow traffic laws, stay off sidewalks and playing fields, and don’t block walkers or wheelchair access when you park.
Bottom line from local departments: most of what they’re stopping aren’t bicycles at all. If your kid’s “e-bike” has no real pedals—or rips far above 20 mph—expect it to be treated as a motorcycle. (Parents, double-check before you buy, and have the safety talk.)
