19-Year-Old Rider Flees Goshen Trail Chase, Faces Five Charges
Naudis Mercedes-Vasquez refused to stop on the Heritage Trail before fleeing on foot, drawing a fleet of deputies and a long list of traffic violations.
By Jillian Foster ·
A 19-year-old dirt bike rider fled from Orange County deputies on Tuesday after refusing to pull over on the Heritage Trail, an incident that ended with a foot chase through a field near Hartley Road. Naudis Mercedes-Vasquez, a resident of Middletown, was taken into custody alongside a passenger who remains uncharged. The Orange County Sheriff's Office detailed the sequence of events in a release on Thursday.
The pursuit began around 3 p.m. the previous day, following a complaint about a motorcycle on the trail. While the initial rider could not be located, a deputy returning to the same sector between Six-and-One-Half Station Road and Hartley Road found a 2026 Zhejiang S3-125 minibike traveling against the designated direction of traffic. The vehicle carried two occupants, violating the county ban on motorized vehicles on the path.
When deputies attempted to stop the bike, Mercedes-Vasquez refused to yield and continued northwest toward Hartley Road. As additional officers positioned themselves near the trail's access point at Hartley Road, the rider turned the motorcycle around and headed back toward the pursuing units. The driver and passenger then abandoned the vehicle and ran into a field behind TAM Enterprises. Deputies chased the pair, who stopped upon hearing orders to cease running.
Mercedes-Vasquez faces five criminal charges: second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, reckless driving, and third-degree unlawful fleeing of a police officer. He also received 15 vehicle and traffic law violations related to his operation of the motorcycle. He was released on an appearance ticket and is scheduled for a later date in Goshen Town Court. No charges were announced for the passenger.
Sheriff Paul Arteta used the incident to reiterate his stance on trail usage. He stated that families, pedestrians, and cyclists should be able to enjoy the path without risk from reckless actions. Arteta emphasized that motorized vehicles have no place on the Heritage Trail and that such activity will not be tolerated.
