Skopje Man Rode a Wheelie Down Partizanska Without a Licence to Film It for TikTok: Police Only Acted Once the Video Went Viral

A Suzuki motorcycle, the "Partizanski Odredi" boulevard, the junction with "29 Noemvri" - and a rider on one wheel, again and again, in the middle of city traffic. No driving licence. Camera rolling. For TikTok.

Police identified the 37-year-old from Skopje, initials A.A., and announced two criminal charges: reckless driving of a motor vehicle under Article 297-a of the Criminal Code, and endangering road safety with a dangerous act or means under Article 298. The ride took place on 3 October, and the video ended up on news portals on 10 October.

The order of events is instructive. The road traffic safety department of the Skopje police, together with "Safe City", first tracked down the motorcycle's owner, then its user, then the person it had been lent to that day. A.A. himself confirmed that he'd ridden without a licence and posted several videos on social media. So the system worked - but it only kicked in once the footage went viral, seven days after the ride.

That's the real question. How many rides like this on Partizanska never make it to any portal, so nobody ever hears about them? The "Safe City" cameras are on the boulevards, and the Criminal Code has Articles 297-a and 298. What seems to be missing is a police force that doesn't wait for TikTok to serve up its next charge.