The man had been dubbed the ‘Blue Mountain Bandit’ by local mountain bikers.
A Peekskill, New York man was charged last week with placing tree limbs and other debris on a trail used by mountain bikers at Blue Mountain Reservation in Westchester County, New York, putting the riders in danger of being injured.
Officials with the Westchester County Police Department said the 44-year-old man was charged with Criminal Nuisance 2nd Degree, a misdemeanor. He was booked at county police headquarters in Hawthorne and released pending a May 19 appearance in Peekskill City Court.
The arrest stems from an investigation that began in the fall of 2024. County police received several complaints that a person was placing tree limbs, smaller branches, and other debris at the bottom of a descending rock face on a popular mountain biking trail.
After receiving the complaints, county police officers, park rangers, and park personnel made regular inspections of the remote location where the incidents were occurring.
Members of the Westchester Mountain Biking Association placed a trail camera in the vicinity of the rock face, also known as a granite roller by riders. A potential suspect was originally identified, but there was insufficient evidence to bring a charge.
After receiving more recent evidence based on trail camera video footage, the suspect was formally charged on April 29.
Riders in the Westchester Mountain Biking Association Facebook group celebrated the development. They said it took six to eight months to gather the evidence they submitted to police.
Blue Mountain Reservation is a 1,538-acre County park in Peekskill and Cortlandt. It features 20 miles of trails for mountain biking and additional trails for hiking, horseback riding, and wildlife viewing.
