A small New Jersey police department has sparked national attention after an officer disguised himself as a shrub to catch drivers fixated on their cellphones instead of the road.
According to Gateway Pundit, the Dunellen Police Department deployed the undercover officer on a busy downtown stretch in the one-square-mile borough, an area with heavy foot traffic and what authorities describe as a troubling accident rate. The six-hour operation yielded 74 citations for distracted driving, a striking figure that underscores both the scale of the problem and the aggressive enforcement approach embraced by local officials.
The department publicized the sting in a Facebook post that mixed humor with a stern warning to motorists. Did you spot our shrub today? If you had your head buried in your phone, probably not! the post declared, adding, Our shrub was busy. We issued 74 citations to drivers distracted by their devices in a six-hour window.
Officers used the viral moment to remind drivers that convenience does not outweigh safety or the law. The post urged motorists that that text or notification can wait. Keep your eyes on the road, not your screen!
Photographs released by the department show an officer in a full green ghillie-style suit, covered in artificial leaves and branches, standing near a tree and scanning traffic with binoculars. Another image features an officer wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the tongue-in-cheek message Not a Cop, a jab at drivers who assume they can spot law enforcement before breaking the rules.
New Jerseys cellphone statute is no mere suggestion, imposing fines of $200 to $400 for a first offense and $400$600 for a second. Repeat violators face $600$800, possible license points, and even a 90-day suspension, reflecting a broader push for personal responsibility on the road rather than reliance on government to clean up the consequences of reckless behavior.
Det. Sgt. Nicholas Goldman told CBS News that the creative tactic was born of necessity, not theatrics. While it was a fun thing, the underlying mission is incredibly serious. For a one-square-mile town, we have a relatively high number of accidents, and we were looking for a unique enforcement method, Goldman said.
Dunellen traffic safety patrolman Kevin Condis described what officers are seeing from behind the badge in an era of constant digital distraction. So what were seeing a lot of is people usually just holding their phones, following either a GPS, or FaceTiming a lot of the time, you know, we did get, unfortunately, see a lot of people holding the phone with two hands and, like, almost driving with their knees, which sounds crazy, but, you know, theres a lot of people that were doing it.
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