Cops use bulldozers to crush 200 seized motorbikes on Staten Island

Colin Mixson and Gardiner Anderson, New York Daily News on May 13, 2026

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NEW YORK — The NYPD crushed 200 dirt bikes, mopeds and scooters beneath the treads of two bulldozers outside a Sanitation Department garage on Staten Island Wednesday.

The demolished motorbikes were among more than 5,700 seized by police in New York City this year. The vehicles were snatched for being unregistered, uninsured, or having fake or altered license plates, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

“The NYPD has the authority to seize them, and that’s exactly what we have been doing en masse,” Tisch told reporters just moments before the tractors were unleashed on the seized scooters.

Tisch, who stood beside Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon and Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, described the doomed motorbikes as “attractive tools for criminals,” and noted that two gunman who shot a 7-month-old baby in Brooklyn last month were mounted on a scooter.

“What we are doing goes well beyond traffic enforcement,” said Tisch. “These illegal mopeds and scooters have become a persistent public safety issue across the city and are often used in the commission of a crime.”

The NYPD has seized 10% more motorbikes this year compared to the same time in 2025. Scooter and moped confiscations are up 40% on Staten Island for the first quarter of 2026.

“This is a reflection of actions speaking louder than words,” said Fossella. “To those who want to commit crimes, to those who want to recklessly use these vehicles, you will be brought to justice and your vehicles will be confiscated.”

The resulting scrap from the demolished bikes will be brought to a sanitation facility for recycling, according to DSNY Chief Anthony Pennolino.

There are more than 60,000 food delivery workers active in New York City, who often rely on scooters to make deliveries across the five boroughs.