NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — A New Bedford man was arrested Thursday for driving recklessly on a dirt bike and crashing into a car, according to police.
Officers responded to Grove and Cottage street Thursday evening for reports of a crash between a car and dirt bike.
Police said the drier of the car told officers she was turning onto Grove Street when the dirt bike rider crashed in to her vehicle.
The dirt bike rider, identified by police as 22-year-old Justin Cardoza, was injured in the crash and transported to the hospital. Cardoza said he couldn’t remember anything because he had hit his head in the crash and wasn’t wearing a helmet.
Police said at the hospital, it was discovered that Cardoza had four bags of marijuana on him, weighing more than two ounces. It was also learned that the dirt bike didn’t belong to Cardoza, and actually belonged to a 21-year-old New Bedford man.
Cardoza has been charged with reckless operation of an unregistered and uninsured recreational vehicle on a public way without a helmet and possession of a class D drug with intent to distribute.
The owner of the dirt bike was cited for allowing an unlicensed person to operate an unregistered or uninsured vehicle in a public way.
The charges stem from an initiative dubbed “Operation Safe Streets” which was launched to crack down on recreational vehicle use within the city.