Deerpark police target late‑night racing at Hawk's Nest
DEERPARK, New York (WABC) -- A scenic stretch of Route 97 known as Hawk's Nest is drawing increased police enforcement after residents complained about noise, speeding and late night gatherings of car and motorcycle enthusiasts.
Motorcyclist Bartosz Ptak said he traveled two hours from Queens for the view overlooking the Delaware River.
"It's very twisty and calm. Not too many people speeding around here," he said.
Residents say the atmosphere changes after dark. Ed Kackos of Sparrowbush said nighttime crowds bring dangerous behavior.
"You've got motorcycles doing wheelies at 100-miles an hour on a rear wheel. I've seen it," he said.
Police recently ticketed 30 drivers gathered at the overlook shortly after midnight earlier this month. Officers say the winding mile and a quarter roadway has become a destination for touge, a Japanese style racing practice.
Deputy Chief Michael Worden of the Deerpark Police Department said drivers use the road for informal competitions.
"One they'll do is cat and mouse type of racing where one car takes off and another car tries to catch up to them. They'll do like this single solo type runs where one person will just drive the course as fast as they can and try to beat their own times," he said.
Videos of the runs are often posted on social media. Police say they issued more than 50 summonses and want to deter speeding and vandalism in the area.
"We wanted to come up here and make a presence at a time where we know we're seeing evidence that they're coming up. We're finding burn marks in the morning, tire tracks, we're finding the graffiti, we're finding the trash. We're also getting the complaints," an officer said.
Police say the investigation is ongoing as they work to identify organizers of the gatherings. Future enforcement could include seizing vehicles.
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