In the fall of 2024, the police in Westchester, New York, began receiving odd complaints: Someone had been repeatedly dragging and piling tree branches and limbs on a popular mountain bike trail, seemingly in an attempt to ward off recreational bikers, BikeMag reported.
One local group, the Westchester Mountain Biking Association, placed trail cameras in the areas where the branches were appearing in an attempt to catch the perpetrator in the act. Westchester County Police Department officers and park rangers began regularly inspecting the site as well.
After many months and capturing video of their suspect, the WCPD finally made an arrest in May.
The person arrested, a 44-year-old man named Jeffrey Jarvis, was charged with a misdemeanor of criminal nuisance in the second degree. He was released and scheduled for a later appearance in court.
Westchester County Police (@wcpdny) shared a video on their official Instagram page with the news.
As BikeMag explained, Jarvis' motives were not explicitly named, but conflict over trail use in the Blue Mountain Reservation is "nothing new" for bikers and hikers there. While mountain biking is permitted, many residents — including several bikers — have lamented the improper and destructive treatment of the trail system.
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"As a mountain biker that has used these woods for more than 30 years I have seen the progressive destruction that unauthorized trails are creating in the woods," one person commented on the WCPD's Facebook page. "I have seen many beautiful moss covered rocks striped with trails that are clearly just for thrill seekers. I have also noticed many trails progressively widening by timid people trying to avoid the rocky bits in the middle. … The damage caused by wider trails just causes more erosion and run off and has made some the trails I used to ride easily unmanageable."
Even so, they pointed out, harassing and endangering mountain bikers is not the answer. "Blocking the trails as this jerk did is not the way to handle the situation," they said.
Sam Lee, the president of the Westchester Mountain Biking Association, agreed. "If you're a disgruntled trail user, and you don't like what you see, you should notify the land owner, the park staff, and start from there before doing anything as a vigilante," Lee told ABC7NY Eyewitness News.
Fortunately, no mountain bikers appear to have been injured by Jarvis' actions.
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