Police officer disguised as a bush applies 74 fines for cell phone use while driving in six hours

A police officer dressed as a bush has issued 74 fines in six hours in the city of Dunellen, New Jersey, in the United States. The operation took place on July 29 and had a specific target: drivers who were driving holding their cell phones.

The agent wore a ghillie suit, the jumpsuit covered in artificial leaves and branches associated with snipers and hunters. Posted next to a tree on block 100 of North Washington Avenue, he watched traffic with binoculars and warned his colleagues, who made the approach.

The point was not chosen at random. According to the Dunellen Police Department, the stretch concentrates an intense flow of vehicles and pedestrians in the city center, which is just over 2.6 km². “Although it was something fun, the mission behind it is very serious. For a one-square-mile city, we have a relatively high number of accidents,” Detective Sergeant Nicholas Goldman told CBS News New York.

The “I’m not a police officer” T-shirt

The corporation released the result on Facebook with a mocking tone: “Did you see our ‘bush’ today? If I had my head stuck in my cell phone, probably not.” The post also went viral for a second photo, in which another officer appears with a T-shirt printed with the phrase Not a cop .

Goldman made a caveat: the policeman did not spend the six hours inside the costume. According to him, the outfit served as a communication resource, to draw attention to the campaign on social networks. Part of the comments accused the department of setting up an ambush and acting for collection, a criticism that the police refute by citing the history of accidents.

Patrolman Kevin Condis said he saw drivers following the GPS with the device in hand, on video calls and, in some cases, holding the cell phone with both hands and driving with their knees.

How much does it cost in the US and Brazil

In New Jersey, state law prohibits talking or typing on a cell phone while driving. The first fine ranges from $200 to $400, and in the third recurrence, it can reach $800, with points on the license and suspension of the license for up to 90 days.

In Brazil, the Brazilian Traffic Code is equally harsh: holding or handling the cell phone while driving is a very serious infraction, with a fine of R$ 293.47 and seven points on the CNH. Talking on the phone without taking your hands off the wheel is an average infraction, of R$ 130.16 and four points.

The numbers help to explain the insistence. The NHTSA, the American federal traffic agency, attributed 3,208 deaths and 315,167 injuries to distracted driving in 2024. The agency uses a didactic comparison: taking your eyes off the road for five seconds at 88 km/h is equivalent to traveling about 90 meters in the dark.