CONFRONTING footage has emerged of motorbikes doing wheelies and dangerous stunts at Merewether and Bar Beach, as rogue riders cause concern for police and the community.
Videos on social media revealed what appeared to be young people being filmed pulling stunts on unregistered bikes along residential streets in Newcastle.
In a clip posted earlier this month, a rider can be seen doing a wheelie and climbing on the motorbike's seat as they travelled on Watkins Street at Merewether.
Similar actions on Bar Beach Avenue were captured on footage posted on January 17.
It came after a dirt bike rider was filmed tearing along the pedestrian area of a bridge and on a footpath on Lambton Road at Broadmeadow in broad daylight on January 11.
Police said the motorbike rider's actions had been "extremely dangerous" and had put themselves and pedestrians at risk.
Newcastle and Hunter highway patrol Chief Inspector Thomas Barnes issued a warning at the time.
"The last thing police want is for anyone, let alone a child or a young person with their whole life ahead of them, to be killed or seriously injured in clearly preventable circumstances," Chief Inspector Barnes told the Herald.
He warned those thinking of riding their motorbikes dangerously that they could face criminal charges or multiple fines.
He said the offences of riding on the footpath; using an unregistered, uninsured, unroadworthy vehicle; potentially while unlicensed, could add up to more than $2000 in fines alone.
He urged parents and carers to make sure that young people with access to an unregistered motorbike only rode them on private property, under strict supervision, and with all the necessary safety equipment.
"And further, when not being so used, they are secured in a manner that prevents them being taken without permission," he said.
"The stark reality of what at first may appear like just fun and games is not lost on me, nor I am sure, is it lost on those who knew and continue to grieve for them," Chief Inspector Barnes said.
Separately, an 18-year-old man was ordered to front Newcastle Local Court after he was charged with motorcycle-related offences earlier in January.
Proactive Crime Team officers spotted a rider - allegedly without a helmet - speeding on a yellow unregistered motorcycle at Jesmond on December 19 and claim they had seen him before doing wheelies, riding on the wrong side of the road, and on footpaths.
A 20-year-old man was seriously hurt when a dirt bike collided with a truck at Windale in September last year.
Police hit the ground last week to target illegal trail bike activity in the Central Coast area, dishing out 16 fines and confiscating one young person's bike.
Operation Hondo was focused on the area between Gwandalan and San Remo, which covered the Lake Macquarie State Conservation Area.
Riders were warned operations of that nature would continue in the future.
