It was a cool evening in late May as two women were driving along the Plymouth waterfront, minding their own business.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, an electric bike with two teenagers riding tandem plowed headlong into their Jeep.

The teens — one 14, the other 15 — were traveling north on Water Street when they allegedly swerved to avoid a truck taking a left from the southbound lane into the turnaround by Plymouth Rock.

The bike careened across the road, striking the Jeep and becoming lodged under its front bumper, according to a police report.

The truck belonged to an off-duty Plymouth police officer, Joshua Aylward, who jumped out to help the teens, both of whom lay injured in the road.  

The operator of the bike was momentarily unconscious, a witness told the Independent. The passenger was badly injured — his lower leg was clearly broken, possibly in multiple places, police said.

The women, one from Plymouth and the other from Whitman, were described as shaken but uninjured.

The accident never should have happened.

The electric bike the boys were riding — which appeared to be a Surron Light Bee X, with a price tag of more than $4,000 and an advertised speed of up to 46 mph — is not permitted on public streets in the town or across the state, according to police.

The type of bike involved in the May incident is considered a recreational vehicle suitable for off-road use only. Some e-bikes are classified as street legal if they have pedals and can go no faster than 25 mph. A 13-year-old boy on one such bike was seriously injured Saturday when he was struck by a car at the intersection of White Horse and Rocky Hill roads, according to police.  He was taken by helicopter to a Boston Hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown.  

Both types of bikes can be seen on downtown and waterfront streets – and sidewalks – every day, often speeding and weaving in and out of traffic.  

Plymouth police say they are receiving an increasing number of calls about kids riding the expensive and potentially dangerous bikes in public areas, frightening motorists and pedestrians, not to mention putting themselves at risk. Sometimes the bike operators are belligerent and confrontational.

Ask people who frequent the business district, and they’ll likely say it was only a matter of time before there was a serious – or fatal – accident. Many wonder why action to curb their operation did not take place sooner.

Police have received hundreds of calls since the spring of 2024 for “erratic operation by juveniles of Surron vehicles downtown,” according to the report from the May 30 accident.

“Oftentimes during these calls, the individuals responsible flee the scene prior to police arrival due to their quick maneuverability and off-road capabilities that cruisers can’t navigate or compete with,” Patrol Officer Andrew Whelan reported.

Indeed, a review of several incident reports filed by police shows that, in most cases, by the time officers arrive, the riders are gone.

There have been calls for kids swerving in and out of traffic, doing wheelies in parking lots, taunting drivers, and even tearing up cranberry bogs.

For example, on June 4 at 6:10 p.m., police were called to Marc Drive off Summer Street for a report of “multiple individuals on e-bikes riding in the middle of the street…” Caller reports one party rode directly at the caller and engaged in a verbal argument.”

But by the time an officer responded 11 minutes later, they were gone.

A downtown resident who witnessed the May 30 accident said he has often seen menacing kids on electric and even regular bikes downtown, on the waterfront, and the North Plymouth rail trail.  

“There have been numerous times we’re walking along, and you see kids on e-bikes weaving in and out of traffic — more often than not they’re very disrespectful. They pop wheelies and they come right at you,” said the resident, who asked that his name not be used out of fear of retribution.  

Recognizing this as a growing concern, police last week issued a public service announcement warning people that electric, pedal-less bikes are considered recreational vehicles and are not legal for use on public ways.

Even off road, drivers are supposed to comply with certain rules — they must wear a state-approved helmet, anyone under 18 must complete a safety course, and younger children are prohibited from operating without adult supervision.

“These restrictions are in place to protect both riders and the public,” police wrote. “We ask parents and guardians to be aware of the laws and speak with their children about the proper and legal use of these vehicles.”

Police, however, have not been strictly enforcing the laws, but say they will start doing so.

Police say if they find a teenager illegally riding an e-bike, a parent will be called to take it home. If a parent can’t be reached, police will bring the bike to police headquarters for the parents to retrieve.

They can also issue tickets — as much as $250 apiece — to both the children and their parents.  

“We want to try education first,” said Capt. Marc Higgins. “We want to give people the benefit of the doubt.’

Meanwhile, the 15-year-old driving the bike in the Water Street crash has been charged in juvenile court with four counts of delinquency for negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and for operating a motor vehicle without insurance, a registration or a driver’s license.

He denied doing anything wrong, according to the police report. He said he was going 15 miles an hour and not driving erratically. He said he was cut off by the truck, operated by Aylward.

His mother told police an app on her phone indicated he was driving 26 mph.

But Aylward, the police officer who happened to be there when the 8:45 p.m. crash took place, told a different story. The teenager, he said, was going 45 to 50 mph.

And another witness told the Independent that seconds before the accident he saw two sets of e-bikes whizz by. “Someone is going to get killed on one of those,” he told his wife.

The crash, he said, was “100 percent” the teens’ fault. He estimated the e-bike was traveling “at least 50 mph.”

Neither the parents of the two teens, nor the women in the Jeep, could be reached for comment.

Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.

Share this story

We believe that journalism as a public service should be free to the community.
That’s why the support of donors like you is critical.


Thank you to our sponsors. Become a sponsor.