Matt Van Swol 09/24/2026 X post:
Outrage is erupting after an 11-YEAR-OLD BOY was stopped by police, FINGERPRINTED, and ordered to court for riding his dirt bike to go FISHING...
...300 FEET FROM HIS OWN HOUSE!!!
They TOWED HIS BIKE with a city WRECKER.
An officer warned him he'd get a WARRANT if he didn't show up, he'll have to miss school for it.
His name is Cade, he's 11 years old, a sixth grader in Oviedo, Florida.
His dad helped him start a little summer business selling squirrel tables and Cade worked all summer long, he saved up $900 and he bought that bike himself.
An 11-year-old entrepreneur, in 2026.
We should be putting this kid on a FREAKING POSTER!!!!
On Labor Day, Cade grabbed his fishing pole and rode toward the pond at Sweetwater Park, he was on the shoulder of the road, about 300 FEET from his house.
Why not the sidewalk?
His answer: "If I go on the sidewalk, I can only go 10mph, and also it's going to scare the pedestrians."
An 11-year-old thinking about pedestrians' safety!
Then, an Oviedo police officer pulled him over.
Asked him for his license, his registration, his proof of insurance.
THE KID IS ELEVEN.
Then they fingerprinted him.
Wrote him a citation with a mandatory court date and told this little boy, on camera, "You have to show up, OK? Or they're going to put out a warrant for you."
Then they called in the city tow truck!!!!!!
His dad's words: "They called in the city wrecker for this little, tiny electric bike and winched it on up there."
Next Tuesday, Cade has to skip school to stand in front of a judge.
Yes TECHNICALLY the police have a point under Florida law, but where was the common sense?!!!!
Cade now says: "Now I'm kind of scared to ride my dirt bike."
A Virginia mom got a criminal record for letting her son walk to a pond, two little girls in Pennsylvania got hauled into court over a broken swing, and now an 11-year-old in Florida gets printed for riding to go fishing.
We are criminalizing childhood in this country.
Even THE TOWN MAYOR called Cade a "good kid." She's right.
...and for the love of God, somebody give this kid his bike back.
WE DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS!!!!
https://x.com/mattvanswol/status/2103127180762865964/video/1
I have seen under 16 year olds in FL driving crazy on e-bike, sometimes careening toward other vehicles to make them brake. It’s possible the police are reacting to complaints in the community.
something kids have done from the start... what the hell is the difference between that and a normal bicycle? Just chew the kids butt and send him home. Some cops just love messing with people who dont shoot back... he is a real hero...
When I was a kid lots of my friends had dirt bikes, although this e-bike does not really sound like one. One family in the neighborhood used to compete in the “scrambles” circuit in New England (that’s what they called it before it became “Motocross”) all summer. Everyone knew you could be ticketed for driving them on public roads. Not likely to happen in our semi-rural suburb, but a risk you faced.
the government is here to help us!
WTF! When I was a kid here in commiefornia I got at least 5 tickets, before I was 16, for riding my dirtbike on the street. They never took it away with a tow truck. Just wrote us a ticket and said push it home.
We’re talking around 1971 to 76.
See how ppl defend him? No self-awareness. He’s put above concerns of the community and law enforcement. He’s on a dopamine loop already. Wonderful.
Vaping THC by 18
Meth by 20
Fentanyl by 22
Homeless at 24
Dead by 30
Good job raising a kid by giving them what they want rather than guidance and civic responsibility.
“11-year-old Florida boy arrested, ordered to appear in court for electric dirt bike”. I didn’t get arrested the time I was riding my Yamaha dirt bike on the street and sidewalks, just a lot of tickets.
There are thousands of people, young and old, riding those battery powered machines on the streets and highways every day.
And not just bicycles -there are tricycles and stand up scooters too.
So - how do you single out one 11 year old for disobeying the law when there are so many others being ignored?
I’m not advocating breaking the law or letting law breakers go because those things are a danger to the users and drivers of cars and trucks.
I’m just commenting on what a pervasive nuisance those machines have become and how their numbers seem to overwhelm law enforcement to the point that one arrest of an 11 year old is news.
To be classified as a bike it needs to have pedals. Ran into this in Tucson too.
Is this why they’re always riding on the sidewalk? Police don’t give a shit about that it seems. I remember being harassed endlessly as a kid riding minibikes however. Society is nothing but a collection of mixed signals.
Having watched them on the street in the real world ...
Yes. Some of them perform like gasoline powered motorcycles ... and are often ridden recklessly by kids who are old enough to know better.
Having watched them on the street in the real world ...
Yes. Some of them perform like gasoline powered motorcycles ... and are often ridden recklessly by kids who are old enough to know better.
“4500-watt motorcycle without any pedals.”
4500 watts is huge, most states appear to limit it to 750 watts to be classified as an e-bike. Plus there were no pedals which is usually another requirement. So no surprise this kid’s bike was considered an electric motorcycle.
I hike the Erie canal trail a lot and I see these e-bikes zipping past me all the time, sometimes too close for comfort and no warning. Some woman was killed on the trail some time ago when one of these e-bikes ran into her at high speed.
We have the little minions all over here driving 4-wheelers, side by sides, electric bikes, and even golf carts on the road. No adult in sight. It gets tiresome dodging them.
I got spotted and chased by a cop for riding my 3hp minibike in the street. Lost him after going off road and deep in the woods. I ran because I knew I’d be a deep doo doo if he caught me. Those were the days. Consequences for actions. What a concept.
Good on the coppers. If your bike/whatever is motorized in any way you should have a license.
This was the law. The parents should go to jail for letting their little spawn defy the law.
Claiming he is otherwise a “good boy” is the same as illegals demanding to stay in the US just because they have a job (which they stole from a US citizen). That is bullshitte.
This is a major problem of under age, non licensed, non insured operators of such equipment. There have been cases where insured, licensed automobile operators have hit and killed the youngsters at night who operate these non lighted vehicles on major roadways.
These ebikes are becoming a problem. The riders are obstructing traffic, flying out from nowhere in front of and behind drivers. It is getting pretty scary. They convince themselves that they are more like a vehicle in traffic than a bicycle.
A few little kids come up to the local grocery store on their bikes. We let them park them inside. I like our small lil community half way between two major cities.
A few little kids come up to the local grocery store on their bikes. We let them park them inside. I like our small lil community half way between two major cities.