People of all ages — some children — stroll the lot, checking out the array of customized Honda Civics, Infiniti G35/G37s, Audis and trucks. Modified exhausts, tuning and engines create a noisy environment.
Middletown police Sgt. Sam Allen said if it wasn’t for the “drag racing side of it,” the car meet-ups wouldn’t be a big deal.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“When they start cutting through neighborhoods, and closing down areas of the road so they can drive reckless and out of control...not only are they putting themselves at danger, but they’re putting the public in danger, too,” he said. “That’s where the big problem comes in.”
As for enforcement, police can charge drivers with criminal trespassing if nearby businesses want that; reckless driving; speeding and more.
On each Saturday in July, Middletown police issued 3-6 traffic tickets or warnings, but following an uptick in calls and complaints, police completed 24 traffic stops in the area near South Breiel and Caprice Drive on the night of August 9.
Of the 24 citations, there were six warrant arrests, one complaint arrest, 17 traffic citations and nine warning citations.
Lt. Anthony Gibson said racing peaks late spring and into the summer.
A specific police detail will be implemented over the next 4-6 weeks so officers can concentrate on street racing, according to Gibson.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Police Chief Earl Nelson said an increase in complaint calls led to the detail.
Hundreds participate
“They’re so strategic about their racing, that we have to collaborate with other agencies,” he said. “Two or three police officers isn’t going to slow down two or three hundred cars.”
While some of the drivers and attendees are from Middletown, many come from out of town.
One attendee, who lives in Centerville, told the Journal-News he is at the event most weekends when he gets the chance.
“It’s just a fun time to come out and hang out with friends, meet new people, talk about the cars with other people that have the same passion, figure out what they’re doing with their car,” he said.
Following the meetup near White Castle, some travel to another spot near South Breiel Boulevard and Caprice Drive.
The swath of road there, on the far east end of the Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works, resembles an airplane runway and dead-ends at Oxford State Road. This is where the racing ramps up, and it also garners the most complaints.
John Lewis and his mother, Penny Sewell, live at the corner of Bonita Drive and Rayview Street, an area that many drivers cut through on their way to South Breiel.
“Last year is when (the racing) started getting bad,” he said.
They both said it’s been “quieter” this summer, though drivers in the area don’t always stop at nearby stop signs.
The noise and speed are nuisances, and Sewell said sometimes the racing “shakes” the front windows of her home.
“I’m just afraid somebody’s gonna get killed,” Sewell said.
Lewis, who attended the meets when he was younger, said there are now many more spectators watching on South Breiel who stray close to the road.
One of those spectators, Becca Miller, 18, of Liberty Twp. attends the “car meets,” as she refers to them, most weekends. She’s been going for over a year.
“It’s a very social thing,” she said. “There’s sometimes drama, but for the most part, everything’s very civil...(it’s) like a big friend group smashed together.”
She said while it can get “chaotic,” “everyone’s always there to look out for each other.”
“Everyone’s like family,” she said.
Police are also worried about possible accidents involving those residents who may not know what time or where the racing is happening.
“Those innocent bystanders who don’t know that they’re racing and they pull out in front of them in traffic...it’s not a good combination,” Nelson said.
To his knowledge, no one has gotten seriously injured during or because of the event.
But those who live in the area near Breiel Boulevard and Caprice Drive are “tired” of it, according to Gibson.
“We’re definitely taking it seriously; we don’t want anybody getting hurt,” he said.
There were visible patrols Saturday, leading to a “light” night, according to a neighbor at South Breiel and Caprice Drive.
She said police were out with a bullhorn a few weeks ago warning drivers to leave the property.
About the Author
