NJ Police Dress as Bushes to Catch Distracted Drivers; 74 Citations in Six Hours
Updated On: August 3, 2026
Police in Dunellen, New Jersey disguised themselves as bushes to catch distracted drivers.
If you were driving through Dunellen, New Jersey, recently and spotted a suspiciously leafy shrub holding a pair of binoculars, you weren't imagining things. That was a police officer, fully camouflaged in a sniper-style ghillie suit, watching for drivers on their phones.
The Dunellen Borough Police Department got creative in its latest push against distracted driving. One officer dressed head to toe in leafy camouflage and posted up next to a real tree along one of the town's main streets, blending in well enough that passing drivers had no idea they were being watched. According to a department Facebook post, the unconventional stakeout led to 74 citations for distracted driving in just six hours, all for drivers caught holding their phones in violation of New Jersey's statewide hands-free law.
The department leaned into the bit. One photo from the operation shows an officer with a walkie-talkie wearing a shirt that reads "Not a Cop," presumably standing nearby to relay tips to the disguised spotter without tipping off approaching traffic.
Why Departments Are Getting This Creative
It's a fair question whether the costume was strictly necessary. If a driver is looking down at a phone instead of the road, they likely wouldn't notice an ordinary marked patrol car either, since the entire problem is that their attention is somewhere else. But the disguise does serve a real purpose beyond the viral photo op: officers positioned in plain sight tend to trigger a temporary bump in caution as word spreads and drivers put their phones away near known enforcement spots. A camouflaged officer removes that warning effect entirely, catching drivers in their actual, uninterrupted habits rather than their best behavior.
That distinction matters because distracted driving enforcement has a documented track record of falling short. A 2022 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study on rear-end collisions specifically cited weak enforcement of California's phone-use law, driven by vague statutory language, as a factor in that state's elevated collision rates compared to its neighbors. Simply having a law on the books often isn't enough of a deterrent on its own, which is part of why departments like Dunellen's are experimenting with more unconventional tactics to actually catch and cite violators.
The Numbers Behind Why This Matters
Phone-related distraction isn't a minor issue dressed up for a funny headline. Separate IIHS research has linked phone use behind the wheel to higher rates of both rear-end collisions and speeding, and other national data consistently shows that taking your eyes off the road for even a few seconds at highway speed covers a genuinely dangerous distance while driving essentially blind.
The reflexive urge to check a phone the moment it buzzes doesn't go away just because someone is driving an older, low-tech vehicle, either. It's a habit problem, not a technology problem, and it shows up across every type of car on the road.
The Legal Reality Behind the Laugh
New Jersey's hands-free law prohibits drivers from holding or using a phone while operating a vehicle, with fines starting at $200 to $400 for a first offense and increasing for repeat violations. Beyond the citation itself, distracted driving carries real civil consequences if it leads to a crash. A driver caught on a phone at the time of a collision faces a much harder time disputing fault, since phone records and citations like the ones issued in Dunellen can serve as strong evidence of negligence in any resulting injury claim.
It may be a funny story, and the costume earns its viral moment fairly. But the underlying message is straightforward: put the phone down, whether or not you think a bush might be watching.
If you've been injured in a crash caused by a distracted driver, the independent attorneys we connect you with can help you understand what evidence, including phone records and citations, may support your claim.
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