In Perth Amboy, New Jersey, a group of teenagers found themselves at the center of controversy after police officers stopped them for riding bikes without license tags.
Cell phone footage of the encounter quickly spread across social media, showing officers confronting the teens, confiscating bikes, and loading them into police vehicles. Outraged bystanders recorded the incident, questioning why such heavy-handed measures were taken over something as minor as riding bicycles.
The video sparked intense debate online. Critics accused the officers of excessive force and targeting kids for no valid reason, while others argued that the police were simply enforcing local ordinances requiring bikes to be registered and tagged.
The Perth Amboy Police Department later defended its actions, stating the teens had been warned before and that unregistered bikes can pose safety risks. Still, the public backlash has led to calls for a review of the city’s bike registration policy and how officers interact with young people.
What was meant to be a simple afternoon ride has now ignited a firestorm of questions about community policing, fairness, and whether officers crossed the line.