A rider on a high-powered electric dirt bike turned a New Smyrna Beach sidewalk into a drag strip Thursday, refusing to stop for police and reportedly hitting about 70 mph before ditching the bike and disappearing into the woods, according to officials. Officers said they first saw the machine ripping along the sidewalk at an estimated 50 mph, then watched as the rider bailed off the pavement and onto golf-cart paths and wooded trails in a bid to get away. The electric motorcycle was later found abandoned and seized. Investigators said the rider was not located, and the case is still open.
Police account and evidence
In a Facebook post from the New Smyrna Beach Police Department, shared via reporting by WKMG ClickOrlando, officers said they first spotted the rider near Luna Bella Lane and Airport Road before the chase began. According to the department, the rider refused to stop, pushed the electric dirt bike beyond 70 mph, and cut through golf-cart paths and wooded trails while trying to shake pursuers. Police said the e-moto was eventually recovered, abandoned in a wooded area, and seized while detectives continue to work the investigation.
Where the law draws the line
Florida law sorts out what counts as an electric bicycle based largely on motor power and speed limits. The statute caps an e-bike motor at under 750 watts and splits bikes into classes that top out between 20 and 28 mph. A dirt bike capable of hitting 70 mph would typically fall outside the e-bike definition. The rules, laid out in Florida Statute §316.003 and related sections, treat compliant e-bikes much like regular bicycles, while higher-powered electric motorcycles are handled under motor-vehicle laws instead. That split can mean registration, licensing, and other legal exposure if a machine blows past the statutory limits, per the Florida Statutes.
Rising injuries and enforcement headaches
Officials and medical providers around Florida have been sounding the alarm about faster electric motorcycles as both a safety risk and an enforcement tangle. Health First’s First Flight air-ambulance program logged roughly a 30% jump in missions involving e-bike and e-moto trauma last year, according to FOX 35 Orlando. Similar high-speed chases and bike seizures have been playing out elsewhere in the country. In Southern California, deputies said riders on unregistered electric dirt bikes were clocking dangerous speeds during pursuits, and NBC San Diego detailed one such case.
How to report tips
New Smyrna Beach police are asking anyone with information about the rider or the seized electric dirt bike to email Officer Landon Jones at [email protected] and reference case #260500349, according to WKMG ClickOrlando. For non-emergency questions or to follow up on the case, the New Smyrna Beach Police Department posts dispatch and records office contact details on its official site at New Smyrna Beach Police.
