Police took a teenager’s fatbike after repeat offenses; His mom demanded it back
A court in Amsterdam has ordered police to return a seized modified fatbike to the mother of a teenage boy after multiple enforcement actions in 2023, 2024, and 2025, including a November 2025 stop in which police recorded a speed of 51 km/h.
The boy, born in 2010, was repeatedly stopped by police for riding a modified fatbike, an electric bicycle that is legally limited to 25 km/h, RTL reports.
Police first intervened in July 2023 and again in June 2024. In both cases, the teenager was fined and warned that his fatbike would be confiscated if he was caught again.
In September 2025, police stopped him again and issued another fine. The fatbike was then seized. In November 2025, officers again encountered the teen riding a modified fatbike and the fatbike was again taken by authorities.
After the seizure, the boy’s mother filed a lawsuit seeking the return of the fatbike. She said she purchased the bicycle for 1,200 euros and paid the fines issued to her son. She argued that she was the one “most severely affected” by the confiscation and said she intended to sell the fatbike to recover her costs.
She also told the court she would ensure her son would no longer use the bicycle. She said she had held “the necessary conversations with her son about his behavior.” The boy now rides a regular bicycle.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) described the teenager as “very stubborn” and said he had “not taken into account earlier incidents in which fines were imposed on him.” However, prosecutors also argued that permanent seizure was excessive, noting the mother’s stated intention to sell the bike.
Under Dutch procedure, when police seize property such as a fatbike, the Public Prosecution Service determines whether it is returned, stored, or destroyed.
