CHARLOTTE — Neighbors in north Charlotte said illegal street racing near Interstate 485, Ridge Road, and Prosperity Church Road has become a weekly problem, with loud engines and late-night activity keeping families awake and raising fears of a serious crash.
A resident in the Highland Creek neighborhood said the problem has been going on for months, and it keeps her up all night. The street racing on the weekends is like clockwork.
“It’s every Friday and Saturday night, now,” said the woman, who didn’t want to be identified. “It starts probably around midnight and really can go until after two in the morning.”
Several others reached out to Brand on social media about the problem.
Many said the meetups for the races start in a nearby shopping center and spread out onto Ridge Road, Prosperity Church Road, and I-485.
There were several burnout marks in the parking lot when Brand went to the shopping center on Tuesday.
Another neighbor sent Brand a video that doesn’t show the racing, but it can be heard.
Brand reached out to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to see if officials knew about the issue or if they were doing anything about it.
They referred Brand to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, so he tried to contact them. Brand is waiting to hear back.
Last July, CMPD and NCSHP worked together on a sting to try to stop street racing.
They arrested three people and seized multiple cars valued at over a million dollars during that operation.
Another resident said she wants to see something similar happen in her neighborhood.
“I can’t sleep, and I just sit there, braced, waiting for a horrific accident that is going to happen,” said the woman, who also did not want to be identified. “There is no way that this can keep going and we’re not going to have a terrible tragedy.”
That resident told Brand that motorcycles are sometimes involved in the races.
VIDEO: CMPD, Highway Patrol seize $1.5M in cars during illegal street racing crackdown
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