ATV Hits Police Cruiser

An ATV crashed into a police cruiser in East Rock Park Sunday afternoon, leaving the ATV rider hospitalized with ​“serious injuries.”

The New Haven Police Department posted a press release on X on Tuesday detailing the incident.

New Haven police received complaints of ATV riders across the city, and at 3:40 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to East Rock Park after hearing of a group of riders congregating there by way of Farnam Drive.

Farnam Drive has been closed to cars since 2020; it’s now exclusively meant for pedestrian use.

As police drove up Farnam Drive, officers spotted a number of pedestrians on the street, including children, and an ATV riding down Farnam Drive. Noticing the speed of the ATV, officers angled the police cruiser to shield the pedestrians behind them, while leaving space for the ATV to pass by.

The operator lost control of the ATV and struck the cruiser’s front passenger side window, resulting in the operator incurring ​“serious injuries.” Police called for an ambulance, which then transported the operator to the hospital.

“This is an unfortunate and stark reminder of the extreme dangers of illegal ATV and dirt bike riding on city streets, both for pedestrians and the operators of the vehicles themselves,” Police Chief Karl Jacobson is quoted as saying in the press release. He described the injuries incurred by the ATV driver as ​“tragic, and we hope for his complete and speedy recovery and we urge the public not to engage in this type of activity.”