There are easier ways to introduce yourself to a new city than by making sure everyone within earshot knows what your exhaust sounds like. One driver visiting Newport Beach, California, seems to have discovered that distinction shortly after attracting the attention of police.
The City of Newport Beach shared video of the encounter after officers stopped a driver accused of unnecessarily revving his engine and creating excessive vehicle noise. His car had apparently succeeded in getting people’s attention, just not exclusively the attention he wanted.
“Revving your engine to make sure everyone hears you? We heard you,” the city wrote alongside the footage, warning that loud and unreasonable vehicle noise can result in police attention.
Newport Beach offered some geographically appropriate counsel, too. “Enjoy the beach. Leave the unnecessary revving in the desert,” officials wrote, punctuating the message with the hashtag “#notinnewport.”
Officer Has a Two-Word Response for Visiting Driver
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The video doesn’t need much time to establish the disagreement. An officer instructs the driver to step out of his vehicle, and the man complies before being placed in handcuffs.
“Not in Newport,” the officer tells him.
The driver sounds genuinely surprised by the development and asks, “For revving, sir? For real?” The officer’s answer is considerably shorter: “Yeah.”
The driver then apologizes and offers an explanation that inadvertently fits the city’s caption rather well. “I didn’t know that. I’m from Arizona,” he says.
According to the footage, the officer responds that the driver should have familiarized himself with the local laws. The city did not provide additional details in the information shared here about the precise offense cited, whether the driver was booked, or what happened after the portion of the encounter shown in the video.
Being From Arizona Doesn’t Make Newport Beach Any Quieter
There is a useful distinction buried underneath the city’s admittedly entertaining presentation of the encounter. Police weren’t objecting to the mere existence of a powerful or loud car, according to Newport Beach’s description, but to “loud and unreasonable vehicle noise” and unnecessary revving.
That also makes the driver’s Arizona explanation an unusually convenient detail. Whatever might be commonplace on the roads back home does not necessarily survive the trip across a state line, particularly when local ordinances regulate vehicle noise.
Newport Beach’s response was unmistakably tailored to its own identity. The city didn’t tell drivers to leave their cars at home or refrain from enjoying them, only to leave the gratuitous revving somewhere else.
For this driver, the lesson arrived in handcuffs and with remarkable economy. Three words from the officer were apparently sufficient: “Not in Newport.”
Commenters Debate Whether Handcuffs Were Necessary
The city’s confidence wasn’t universally shared in the comments. Some viewers thought placing someone in handcuffs over an allegation involving excessive engine noise was disproportionate, with one commenter joking that the officer seemed particularly committed to defending his “nice, quiet little beach community.”
Others were delighted by the enforcement. “Newport ain’t playin no more,” one person wrote, while another praised Orange County and suggested Los Angeles could borrow some of the same enthusiasm.
Then someone asked the question destined to complicate this entire enforcement strategy as electric vehicles become more common: “How do you rev a Tesla?”
For now, internal combustion still provides Newport Beach with plenty to listen for. This particular driver wanted an audience, and he got one.