Lacey Cracks Down With Off Road Enforcement Detail

Photo courtesy Lacey Township Police Department

LACEY – Lacey Police will be cracking down on off-road enforcement beginning this weekend, July 7.  Off-road vehicles can be defined as ATVs, dirt bikes, etc.

Alongside New Jersey State Police, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Bureau of Law Enforcement, Ocean Township Police Department (Waretown) and the Barnegat Township Police Department, Lacey Police will be coordinating off-road enforcement details to prevent off-road vehicles from trespassing on private property and conversation lands, as well as prevent injuries and offenses.

A particular area of concern that will be monitored is a 60 square mile wooded area west of the Garden State Parkway (GSP) in Lacey Township, Ocean Township, and Barnegat Township. The main entry point to this area is located off the GSP in Lacey.

The police enforcement detail will begin July 7 and continue through October.

The detail is not only meant to prevent injury, but also to address public safety concerns. In 2016, several individuals were arrested by the off-road task force for violating laws in the wooded area. One individual was even found with numerous firearms and various forms of ammunition.

Serious off-road vehicle accidents have also been an issue in this stretch of woods. In 2016, a 20-year old male passenger suffered a broken neck when his truck flipped over while the group was trespassing on private property.

“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 powerlines and other areas throughout the western part of Lacey Township, Ocean Township and Barnegat Township,” stated Lacey Chief Michael C. DiBella.

Off-road vehicle operators will need to have written permission from the owner of a private property to ride there, according to police.