NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The city of New Haven is sending a strong message to illegal ATV and dirt bike riders: ride on the streets, and your vehicle will be crushed.

City officials, including Mayor Justin Elicker and Police Chief Karl Jacobson, held a public demonstration this week to showcase the fate of seized off-road vehicles. Groups of confiscated bikes and ATVs were compacted and crushed — a sight officials hope will deter others.

“If we catch you, we will crush them," Elicker said. "And today we have the joy of doing that.”

The crushing event was made possible by a recently passed state law that grants municipalities and police departments the authority to impose stiff penalties for illegal ATV and dirt bike use. The law includes fines ranging from $1,000 to $2,000, possible driver’s

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