Andover police want to stop gas stations from selling fuel to illegal dirt bike riders along River Road.

Lt. Frank Fitzpatrick said the department is exploring ways to ban fuel sales to unregistered off-road vehicles on public roads, Andover MA News reported Thursday, Sept. 3. The effort follows repeated encounters with large groups of riders near the Mobil station on River Road, between Tewksbury and Lawrence.

Fitzpatrick said police believe Lawrence's 2023 ordinance banning gas stations from fueling unregistered recreational vehicles pushed riders into Andover. The River Road Mobil is now the closest fueling point, he said. Lawrence's law subjects station owners to fines if they knowingly pump fuel into unregistered dirt bikes, ATVs or off-highway motorcycles on public streets. Methuen has discussed a similar measure, according to Fitzpatrick.

Police logs show a string of incidents between Aug. 25 and Sept. 2.

On Aug. 25, three riders fled an officer, running red lights, passing illegally and riding without headlights before crossing into Lawrence. The next night, about 12 bikes gathered near the Mobil station around 11 p.m. Officers described riders dressed in black and operating without lights. One rider went the wrong way, weaving through oncoming traffic at about 40 mph before a supervisor called off the pursuit.

On Aug. 27, about 17 riders blocked a driveway at a River Road business. The group left toward Lawrence.

By Aug. 30, the numbers had grown. Officers encountered roughly 30 bikes on North Street. A resident reported riders on a lawn who became combative. Officers saw riders running red lights and traveling the wrong way before the group headed toward Lawrence.

On Sept. 1, an officer told dispatchers he had spoken with the Mobil station manager, who agreed to post a note telling cashiers to stop selling gas to dirt bikes. On Sept. 2, another dozen bikes were reported near River Road and North Street without lights. Officers checked the area but could not find them.

Fitzpatrick said enforcement is difficult because riders "operate erratically and at high rates of speed" and scatter when officers approach.

Adopting a fuel-sale ban in Andover would not be as simple as a city council vote. Andover's open Town Meeting form of government requires any bylaw change to go before registered voters as a warrant article.

The police department tested a similar path in April. At the Annual Town Meeting, voters rejected a police-backed proposal to require e-bike registration, 69 percent to 27 percent, Streetsblog Mass reported. That proposal, submitted by Police Chief Patrick Keefe, carried fines of up to $300 per violation.

A dirt bike fuel restriction is a different issue, but the defeat shows the bar Andover police face when bringing vehicle-related regulations to Town Meeting.

Fitzpatrick did not specify a timeline for bringing a fuel restriction proposal forward. The next Annual Town Meeting would typically be held in spring 2027.

A statewide measure is also in limbo. Senate Bill 2396, filed by state Sen. Adam Gómez of Springfield, would prohibit gas stations and other retail fuel dealers from pumping gasoline directly into off-road vehicles, including at self-service pumps. The bill was referred to the Joint Committee on Transportation on Feb. 27, 2025, and a hearing was rescheduled to June 24, 2025. On Dec. 4, 2025, the bill was sent to a study order — a procedural step that typically shelves a bill for the remainder of the session — with no further action recorded since.

Residents who witness dangerous riding can call Andover police at 978-475-0411.