Lacey Chief: Task Force To Crack Down On ATVs And Dirt Bikes

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - Looking for a place to ride your ATVs, quads or dirt bikes during this summer and fall?

You can cross much of Lacey Township and portions of southern Ocean County off your list.

Starting on Saturday, July 7, Lacey police and other law enforcement agencies will crack down on any off-road vehicles found trespassing on private property or protected conservation lands in wooded areas west of the Garden State Parkway in Lacey, Ocean,and Barnegat townships, Lacey Police Chief Michael C. DiBella said.

"The issue of off-road vehicles in the wooded areas is not a simple matter of just trespassing, as it has been a significant public safety concern with some serious criminal offenses occurring in the woods," DiBella said.

The area of concern is roughly 60 square miles of wooded areas. One of the main entry points is immediately off the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey State Police have asked for the township's help, the chief said.

"With the warm weather and the significant forest fire concerns, the Lacey Township Police Department is working to quell the anticipated influx of large groups trespassing, who bring trailers full of dirt bikes and ATVs and stage along the power lines and other areas throughout the western part of Lacey Township, Ocean Township and Barnegat Township," DiBella said.

The trespassing and violations have grown significantly due to online forums and websites which often profile Lacey as "a place to ride," the chief says.

"Much of the 60 square miles west of the Garden State Parkway is private property, which means the individual ATV operator would need to have in his or her possession written permission from the specific property owner to ride on the property," DiBella said.

The task force has dealt with a number of problems over the past few years, including a man who was found with an assault rifle, a Walther P38 9mm handgun, high-capacity magazines, and one 100-round drum magazine and other ammunition, he said.

Other arrests were made for underage alcohol consumption and eluding. There have also been serious off-road motor vehicle crashes, including a 2016 incident in 2016 when a 20-year-old man suffered a broken neck as a passenger in a truck that flipped over while the group was trespassing on private property, DiBella said.

The task force will also include the New Jersey State Police, the Ocean County Sheriff's Department, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Bureau of Law Enforcement, and the Ocean Township and Barnegat police departments.

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