{"id":374060,"date":"2026-10-15T17:52:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T17:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374060\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T17:52:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T17:52:19","slug":"nyc-lawmaker-wants-dedicated-nypd-units-to-combat-chaotic-car-meetups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374060\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC lawmaker wants dedicated NYPD units to combat chaotic car meetups"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Queens lawmaker wants to require the NYPD to maintain dedicated units to combat street takeovers after a series<\/a> of dangerous gatherings<\/a> on New York City streets this year.<\/p>\n

Street takeovers generally involve groups of drivers and spectators occupying streets or intersections, often while drivers perform stunts such as donuts, in which drivers spin their cars in tight circles. Videos posted<\/a> to social<\/a> media frequently<\/a> document the gatherings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Phil Wong\u2019s proposal<\/a> would require the NYPD to maintain a street-takeover enforcement unit and a separate unit to monitor publicly available information about planned gatherings. The NYPD, however, says it already deploys dedicated weekend teams in every borough and uses officers from across the department to track and respond to the events.<\/p>\n

But some episodes of violence have led lawmakers to push for a more robust response.<\/p>\n

Werling Mendez, 18, was fatally shot<\/a> and two other people were wounded during a large car meetup on East 233rd Street in the Bronx on Aug. 23, police said. In April, roughly 50 vehicles and more than 100 people blocked<\/a> a Maspeth intersection where drivers performed donuts around a ring of fire and two people cracked the windshield of a marked police cruiser, according to a criminal complaint.<\/p>\n

The NYPD described its current strategy to combat street takeovers as \u201caggressive.\u201d The department holds weekly meetings involving patrol, intelligence, aviation, highway and other units to prepare for potential weekend gatherings and distributes a citywide plan in advance. Police said they monitor social media and historical data and share information in real time when meetups are underway.<\/p>\n

Racing against the clock<\/p>\n

Wong said the speed with which organizers can move the gatherings makes them difficult for police to stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt usually happens the same day when the notice is sent out,\u201d Wong said. \u201cBy the time they get there, quite often they are somewhere else, so they\u2019re long gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Gothamist review of Instagram posts from dozens of events shows how organizers coordinate the gatherings. They assign roles to participants, including hosts who run the events and blockers tasked with keeping officers away. The chats also update event locations in real time as police respond.<\/p>\n

City Councilmember Oswald Feliz, who chairs the public safety committee considering the legislation, has questioned whether the city\u2019s current approach is sufficient.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis issue is not new, but the use of social media has made it worse,\u201d Feliz said in a statement. \u201cThese takeovers can quickly become dangerous and the recent incidents show we clearly don’t have the strategies in place to handle them effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wong\u2019s bill would require the NYPD to maintain a street-takeover unit responsible for removing vehicles involved in illegal takeovers and a separate surveillance unit to monitor publicly available information about when and where takeovers may occur. Within 30 days of each deployment, the department would have to report to the mayor and City Council on tickets, tows, arrests and the tactics officers used.<\/p>\n

\u2018Two steps ahead\u2019<\/p>\n

Wong said New York City should look at how other jurisdictions respond to takeovers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it works, bring it over and adopt it in NYPD,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Suffolk County, for example, created a dedicated street-takeover task force in November 2024 after confronting similar<\/a> gatherings<\/a> on Long Island. Suffolk County police said their task force has since broken up 131 takeovers, issued 14,146 summonses, made 127 arrests and impounded 169 vehicles as of Sept. 14.<\/p>\n

A county law passed in 2024 makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly remain within 200 feet of a street takeover as a spectator in Suffolk, punishable by up to six months in jail.<\/p>\n

Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said spectators can make the gatherings harder to police.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have dozens at times, spectators actively blocking the streets,\u201d Catalina said. That prevents officers from reaching drivers, he added.<\/p>\n

Before the task force existed, he said patrol officers had to chase gatherings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved them from spot to spot to spot until they found a spot where they could kind of exploit us through numbers, and then we had a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Investigators now develop informants and gain access to chat groups where events are organized.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really stay two steps ahead of them,\u201d Catalina said, but declined to weigh in on what approach the NYPD should take.<\/p>\n

Wong\u2019s proposal, meanwhile, has five other City Council sponsors but has not been scheduled for a committee hearing. City Hall said the administration is reviewing the legislation. If passed, it would take effect one year after becoming law.<\/p>\n