New Jersey Town Issuing $85 Fines for ‘Text Walking’

Fox News

A New Jersey town took to ticketing pedestrians caught texting while walking after a rise in jaywalking incidents.

Police in Fort Lee., N.J., say people are constantly putting themselves at risk of being hit by cars because they do not pay attention while walking.

Local Sue Choe admitted to WTXF that she texts and walks “all the time,” but added, “When I walk, I still look around. I’m not constantly looking down.”

But cops say it is pedestrians like Choe who are the biggest jaywalking culprits.

“It’s a big distraction. Pedestrians aren’t watching where they’re going. They’re not aware,” Fort Lee Police Department (FLPD) Chief Thomas Ripoli said at a news conference.

The FLPD is stepping up patrols looking out for “dangerous” walkers who are not paying attention or obeying the rules of the road but said pamphlets were handed out to warn people about the crackdown.

Offenders can be charged $85 per offense — the fine for jaywalking. In the last month and a half, 117 tickets were issued, according to the report.

8 Comments

  • Milhouse

    What offense are they being charged with? The police can’t just make one up!

  • chaim

    #1 they have said what the charge is it is called J WALKING fort lee is NOT the only place that has it .. NYC also has a law against J WALKERS … fort lee is just enforcing it for protection of their citizens due to the technology of today which and may and does hurt people NOT paying attention when walking and crossing the street ..

  • CHER

    To Milhouse #1

    It seems they are giving out tickets for jaywalking and they are doing so/craking down because the texting while walking has gotten out of hand and dangerous.

    They should do this everywhere.

    Even in Crown Heights it looks like a bunch of zombies walking around our streets. Drivers texting while driving. Mothers/father pushing carriages while texting, not noticing that they are woundering on the street into traffic etc….

    Until recent years I have never seen anybody zooming up to a red light just so they can text. Then of-course we have to beep them for two minutes to move on green.

  • Approve

    Wow. Finally a city with brains! Get these nuts off the streets & better yet even off the sidewalks – Great idea!

  • shlomo as always with bad English

    sure it more easy, than stop cellular crime, that arrest real criminal……………

  • shlomo as always with bad English

    thats so so true #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 your smart NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTT