MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawai’i Police Department is investigating reports that teenagers were riding on the roofs of cars on Kaloko Drive in Kailua-Kona.

Police have contacted the owner of one vehicle and are following leads in a second incident.

Section 24-155 of the Hawai’i County Code prohibits riding on any portion of a vehicle not designated or intended for the use of passengers.

Section 291-14 of the Hawai’i Revised Statutes makes it illegal to stand in the bed of a pickup truck while the truck is in operation. (That law also makes it illegal for someone to drive a pickup truck with a passenger seated in the bed unless no seating is available in the cab.)

“In addition to being illegal, riding outside a car or standing in a pickup truck are extremely dangerous,” said Captain Samuel Jelsma, commander of the Kona District. “These types of activities have caused head and spinal cord injuries nationwide.”