Cops vow vigilance against drag racing

On the heels of the arrest of an 18-year-old Brooklyn man for drag racing, officers of the 106th Precinct have vowed continued vigilance.
According to Deputy Inspector John Doherty, commanding officer, on Saturday, March 3, police observed Kelvin J. Bartholomew and the driver of a second car near a gas station on 130th Street. They were parked side by side and challenging each other to a race, he said.
From there the two drove westbound, Bartholomew in a red 1993 Honda Civic modified for racing, before entering the Belt Parkway at Lefferts Boulevard where they began a high speed race, he said.
They left the Belt Parkway at Linden Boulevard and the police eventually were able to stop and arrest Bartholomew on Drew Street, Doherty said.
The second driver got away.
Doherty said that due to an increase in complaints about drag racing on the Belt Parkway and Nassau Expressway, the precinct began conducting sweeps four weeks ago to catch both racers and spectators. The operations will continue as long as necessary, he said.
“We’re going to use all avenues of law available to combat both the spectators and the drag racers. We’ll make sure that this isn’t the place that you’re gonna want to come to conduct or observe a drag race,” he said.
Doherty said that those apprehended - racers and watchers - would be charged both for violating the New York City Administrative Code, which prohibits participation in drag racing as either a participant or a spectator, as well as with applicable criminal charges.
Additionally, their cars could be forfeited to the city, Doherty said.
At his arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on Sunday, March 4, Bartholomew was charged with reckless endangerment, reckless driving, speeding and failure to indicate. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 22.
Spectators, about 75 to 100 of which have been gathering near the Department of Sanitation garage at 134th Street and 150th Avenue on Friday nights into Saturday mornings, will be issued criminal court summonses and their vehicles scrutinized as part of the police campaign, said Doherty. He estimated their ages to range from, “16-year-olds to some 50-year-olds that didn’t want to grow up” and come from throughout the city and upstate.
In addition to being issued court summonses, spectators will have their cars inspected to ensure they are properly insured and registered, contain no illegal modifications and are not stolen, Doherty said.
Since the crackdown began, Doherty said his officers had arrested five people and issued 25 criminal court summonses and 12 moving violations.
“We’re going to have a zero tolerance over there and anybody that is involved in a drag race I fully intend on having them placed under arrest and that their vehicle is gonna be subject to forfeiture,” Doherty said.
“And any of the spectators, we’re going to use all avenues to discourage them from going to this location to observe illegal drag racing.”