Police in Queensland have charged six people and seized 13 Ford Falcons following a high-profile incident on New Year’s Eve in which the fleet drove recklessly and blocked a busy bridge to set off fireworks.
Video footage captured on Brisbane’s Gateway Bridge just before midnight on New Year’s Eve showed Falcons piloted by masked men blocking northbound lanes and performing burnouts, with some of the occupants also seen setting off fireworks.
When the police arrived on site, the suspected perpetrators had already fled.
However, the Queensland Police Service launched Operation Yankee Reacher, led by the City of Brisbane Criminal Investigation Department, and today announced a number of arrests after search warrants were executed across the Brisbane and Gold Coast region, including Caboolture and Logan Village.
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Of the 13 Falcons confiscated, three are said to have been stolen. They were at an address on Logan Reserve Road in Waterford West.
Footage shared by the QPS shows officers breaking down the front door of a residence and finding a Falcon behind with the tub full of tires.
Some of the alleged perpetrators have already appeared in court.
One of the suspected offenders arrested in the operation was charged with just a single offence, with a 17-year-old boy from Springwood charged with breaching an information order required to access electronically stored information.
The list of offenses for the other alleged offenders is much longer: an 18-year-old man from Caboolture, a 16-year-old boy from Daisy Hill, a 52-year-old man from Logan Village, a 19-year-old man from Waterford, a 22-year-old man from Kensington Grove and two 21-year-old men from Logan Village and Daisy Hill respectively.
Three men have been charged with posting material on social media about their involvement in the dangerous operation of a vehicle; three were charged with unlawful participation in a group activity; three were charged with driving unregistered and/or uninsured vehicles; three were charged with possession of contaminated property; three were charged with driving causing unnecessary noise or smoke; and two each were charged with driving without a license and without a valid license plate.
The 16-year-old Daisy Hill boy was also charged with possession of dangerous drugs and paraphernalia, the 52-year-old Logan Village man was charged with possession of unregistered firearms and the 19-year-old Waterford man was charged with not wearing a seatbelt and allowing passengers to travel with body parts outside the vehicle.
None of the offenses listed appear to be related to the use of fireworks.
A breakdown of which alleged perpetrator has been charged can be found on the Queensland Police media page.
The QPS advises that the fine for driving a vehicle in a manner that produces unnecessary noise or smoke is a fine of $534 plus two demerit points, while spectating (without a reasonable excuse) at a group party is a fine of $667 and driving an uninsured motor vehicle is a further fine of $667.
The New Year’s Eve incident was not the first time hoons carried out a road takeover on the Gateway Bridge.
In June 2025, masked hoons – most of whom also appeared to be traveling in Ford Falcons – were seen setting off fireworks as they drove across the bridge.
MORE: Hoons turn the famous Australian bridge into a dangerous firework display
