Two 16-year-old Lakewood Bachurim were ticketed for hitchhiking in Jackson.
One of the boys tells TLS they were looking for a ride on West County Line Road in Jackson when two police officers came out of their vehicles and asked them for their license and registration.
“We didn’t know what was happening to us – I had no idea what they’re talking about,” the boy – who was no license – said.
The officers proceeded to lecture them about the dangers of hitchhiking, and issue each of them $54 tickets.
Kudos Jackson police. Maybe the LPD should follow suit. The boys hitching totally disregard traffic laws and stand wherever they want and hold up traffic. Schools should not allow such behavior it is dangerous and rude.
What laws are there besides no hitchhiking? Are Hitchhikers only allowed to stand in certain areas?
And what’s wrong? The boys were doing something illegal and they got a ticket.
Now what?
OK so lets throw the book at all people committing MINOR offences.
who is throwing the book at them ? minor offence and 54 dollar fine. perfect .
They had no ID, why couldn’t they just make up a name? Moishe Zichmich
Because that’s a felony on top of the ticket, lukshen kopf.
Police are just enforcing the law:
NJ Statutes 39-4-59 – “No person shall stand in a highway for the purpose of or while soliciting a ride from the operator of any vehicle other than an omnibus or a street car.”
The ticket was warranted.
D
What does it mean stand in a highway?
1) I believe they were standing on private property.
2) Is County Line Road a highway?
@anonymous. Because its against the law to lie to a police officer. Its a misdemeanor offense. Follow the rules and live like a mench. How bout that for a lesson.
My son is in that yeshiva. The yeshiva is actually in Lakewood, on the border of Jackson. They were hitching in Lakewood. It is interesting that the Jackson police would cross over the border to issue a summons like that.
In NJ, cops are allowed to give you a ticket regardless of the town they serve in. if you dont like that, talk to your elected officials about changing this law, dont blame police for doing what your elected officials have them doing
I don’t recall blaming anyone in my post…
It pays to read the post before commenting on it.
It’s a STATE law.
I only pick up bachurim if i have a safe area to pull over. I dont think it’s right for people to do a mitzva on other peoples cheshbon.
You’re very smart! I applaud you.
Its so reckless , great job JPD .,.
Hitchhiking can be extremely dangerous As there are many predators out there. I myself have had a (Jewish) man take me in the opposite direction direction of where he told me he’s going just so he can keep me in the car for longer. I had to jump out at a red light. And mind you I was 23 years old.
Now hitching in Lakewood has been the norm, and it does avoid a lot of congestion. But the PD has every right to ticket hitch hikers. Especially in Jackson, as it is probably not as safe as Lakewood. There are many anti-Semites in Jackson, and you don’t know who will be picking them up .
Additionally boys hitching should not try to stop traffic and make sure they hitch only in visible yet safe spots. Cars stopping in the middle of traffic flow can be extremely dangerous.
That law is to prevent danger to drivers and hitchhikers themselves. hitching should only be permitted in designated areas such as bus stops where cars can safely enter and exit the roadway as well as pedestrians remaining out of traffic.
To the the naysayers, try being a bachur for a week. You would quit faster than a Porsche on steroids.
Yeh @kmon, you tell em.
Being a bochur can be hard. What does that have to do with getting a ticket for going against the law?
without public transportation, no cars of their own these boys often have little choice. put yourself in their shoes and try walking miles in all types of weather when there is no transportation.
You mean like the Gedolim of past generations did?
right now they aren’t Gedolim some day they might be but right now they are bachurim in the current generation NOT the past
It’s against the law. It doesn’t matter what their situation is. They’re breaking the law and got ticketed for it as they’re supposed to. It doesn’t matter where you are, what you background is, race, religion, blah blah, this is the law and you must follow it. There’s plenty of options available to everyone for transportation; for example, a bicycle. If these boys are traveling very long distances at 16 years old, I question why and why can their parents not help them?
Bachurim should not hitchhike.
Parents should instill in their kids that it’s dangerous and illegal.
Chas veshalom someone with bad intentions stops to pick them up. Why do we need to wake up once it’s too late.
Although the officers could’ve lectured them – it would of made the same impression.
Lastly, ‘license and registration’ really??
They should have giving a warning first. Police also need to be a mentch.
They did. It’s called the law.
Do police officers give warnings first when they see a 16 year old smoking weed? no, it is a crime and it should be handled accordingly. Similarly, hitchhiking is illegal and it was handled accordingly. They have to be mindful that they are not in Lakewood.
Why are you posting this as if the officers did something wrong by enforcing the law. Hitching on County Line Rd? Sounds wreckless and dangerous!
Jackson Police may have just saved two lives. Way to go officers.
They should not be hitch hiking nomatter how old are young they are first its against the law 2nd it is extremely dangerous I see it happening all over anymore every town should step up to get hitch hikers off the rds better parenting in homes need to be done their is lyft uber local taxis use them start bein safe people
My husband actually got a ticket years ago hitching on squankum but apparently he was the only one to ever get such a ticket cuz now it’s an official hitching stop. Go figure!
It’s not a “hitching spot”. It’s become a pickup area which is totally legit.
Could be it’s wrong to hitch hike and cops could’ve been nice with a warning but what’s the breaking news about it? By satmar and Bmg they ticket daily making millions why aren’t we posting that here so ppl with realize u can build without parking NOW THATS POST WORTHY
Millions? You have lost all credibility.
I wish Lakewood Police would do this. Hitchiking causes such hefkerus. And don’t tell me nothing has ever happened. Ask the boys you pick up if their parents know where they are going
It’s so sad that we came to a point where everything that law enforcement does is the correct thing to do. It’s obvious that these (and many other) cops were either bullied in school or are on a power high. Someone made up some stupid law for some stupid reason (and I know everyone will say it’s not stupid it’s a safety hazard to which I say oh please driving a car in lakewood is just as dangerous taking a hitch)
Let the law be there to protect us not to make our life complicated by picking on 16 yr old Innocent kids. Innocent kids
What’s sad is that you think a law shouldn’t be enforced because you don’t think the law was made for a good reason.
It doesn’t matter why a law is made, once its made, its the police officers job to enforce it, end of story.
Speak for yourself. Or even better, don’t speak at all.
unfortunately, the high school boys do not have normal bussing here in this town. either the bus comes way too early (and thats considered giving us a bus!) like waiting outside at 630am/7am…or they dont have bussing at all…these boys are waiting and hoping for other parents that are driving their kids to school or teachers passing by to give them a ride. they are only looking for a way to get to their school on time.
That’s why I PREARRANGED those things instead of leaving it to chance. We swapped carpooling or drove them to the Rebbe or Menahel.
I always try to give a ride to bachurim. Its basic darchei shalom people used to give me rides when i was a bachur so i return the favor. Most bachurim have no other means of transportation and ive never heard of a negative outcome from it
As long as they stand off the road and you can pull safely over, there’s much less of a problem.Don’t let your imagination take over your reality.
@Jackson guy. If you would like I’ll send in my dashcam footage from this morning where I almost got hit by 2 cars pulling back into the road after picking up hitch hikers. I’ll also include the portion where another stopped in the middle of county line rd by WaWa causing the car in front of me to almost hit him. It’s the law and the parents of these boys (no girls ever hitching they’re made to walk long distances) had plenty of time after the last school year to arrange transportation.
Why don’t the parents arrange carpools? That is what I did when my boys did not have transportation. (not in lakewood)
I pick up hitch hikers if I’m able to pull over and not obstruct traffic. If they’re not standing in a safe place – I don’t stop for them. And when I drop them off I also make sure it is in a safe place and not blocking traffic.
This should be a wake up call for anyone driving down County Line rd into Jackson.
You ALWAYS have to assume that there are cops hiding and ready to pull you over for the slightest infraction.
The yeshivas should reach the Bachurim how to hitch safely. Countless accidents and near accidents have been caused by hitches hitching at unsafe locations: too close to corners, right near turns, places with no shoulder or narrow shoulders. Usially it’s not the car that actually picked up the hitcher but the cars that are forced to short stop or swerve due to the car in front of them stopped unexpectedly for a hitcher or pulling out from the side of the road where cars wouldn’t be expected to pull out from.
Why is this even news worthy?!
What is a “slight infraction”. Where in the Traffic Codes does it say slight infraction? If you obeyed the law you wouldn’t have such worries. So chill out on County Line and drive like an idiot everywhere else? Good advice, not.
This article highlights the current situation of Bachurim. As a guy who got married a few years ago, and therefore has been “on both sides”, I feel my opinion is qualified.
People just don’t get how hard it is to be a bachur today. There are exceptions but for the most part Bachurim:
Get treated like second-class citizens
Often have horrendous accommodations
Often get sub-par food
Often don’t have much spending money
Usually don’t have a car
Are expected not to have smartphones
Are told everything is assur
And a lot more…
So what can you do about it?
Give them rides
Invite them for Shabbos Meals
Invite them to break their fasts at your house
Let your brother/nephew/bro in law who you trust use your car when yo don’t need it
Drop off extra food after Yom Tov (only Rosh Hashona and Shavuos)
And just recognize that it ain’t easy
/Endrant
Wow, well said. Thanks for understanding us
You lost me when you mentioned smartphones.
I guess some commenters don’t drive around town between 1:30-3:30, as that is prone hitching time for mesivta bochurim. Its absolutely insane that these boys are out hitching all around town. It’s not about transportation in the morning for shachris or after night Seder. Its absolute hefkeiris.
Let There Rebbe Do a UBER. ITS simple and easy. Thanks.
People say hitchhiking is so dangerous. There are 100’s of hitches a day in Lakewood. How many “dangerous situations” do you know of? On the other hand, I know many boys that don’t go to Yeshiva or school… they are in much greater danger. See the results for yourselves.
The police should still issue tickets for hitchhiking because that is the law. I just agree with what the hitchhikers are doing because they need it for their spiritual well being.
What do we live for if not for our children!! Drive them yourself or arrange carpools!!!!
Maybe a slight infraction is if the a detor and it’s pitch black and you don’t know where you are and by mistake forget to turn on your blinker (on an empty road).
Instead of the cop being understanding and giving you directions he gives you a ticket.
Hitchhiking always been illegal, everyone does it, but if you get caught, you get caught.
I would prefer if my tax dollars spent on law enforcement would go towards stopping gangs & drugs. This is a crime in its own right
Many years back, I actually got pulled over by the LPD for PICKING up a hitchhiker, he gave me a warning, but no ticket. These days its so dangerous, I see boys hitching in spots where I can tell for sure there is NO room for a car to pull over., What are they thinking!! And sometimes I see people stop there cars in the middle of the street to let out hitchhikers, very dangerous, and massive chillul hashem
For all those concerned about the law it is unlawful for a Jackson cop to give a ticket within Lakewood’s geographical boundaries, of which they were standing in.
Under the name of law they could do anything. common sense Doesn’t exist u know why because it’s the LAW!
I was thinking a nice roshi tives
Lakewooders
Appreciated
Word
FIGHT THAT TICKET!!!
I also try to pick up Bochurim when they stand in a safe spot as I was myself in their situation one day.
I have issue though with those endangering themselves by not wearing yellow reflector belts at night. I can’t count how many near misses I’ve seen.
I’m get pretty upset when I find out that they were on a bus but didn’t want to wait for the entire route, so they decided to jump off at a short cut stop and hitch for a ride to shave off a few minutes… That’s a total disregard for other people’s time. I often go out of my way to bring them to their final destination and my time is as precious as anyone else’s.
That being said in the majority of cases some Yeshivos don’t provide adequate busing to and from certain areas, especially on Fridays. I wouldn’t want to to be the one to blame if anything happened C”V.
Parents – stand for your rights and the safety of your children. Make sure your sons are not expected to hitch on a regular basis.
Its all about the cash.
If u really think these cops were caring about the safety and security of two yeshiva boys, u are dreaming