Staff reports 9:36 a.m.
Monday, November 24, 2025 9:41 am

A typical backfire from a vehicle with deleted emissions controls; inset Ethan Saint-Val (vehicle photo/courtesy; Saint-Val/Rochester Police photo

ROCHESTER - A Rochester man was arrested earlier this month for operating a vehicle with modified emissions that sound like gunfire, causing alarm to the public, a trend that is turning up nationwide.
According to the EPA, more than 500,000 diesel pickup trucks have had their emissions controls deleted since 2009.
The EPA also found that the excess emissions from these tampered trucks are equivalent to adding more than nine million additional compliant diesel trucks to the road.
On Nov. 4 police arrested Ethan Saint-Val, 22, of Rochester, for disorderly conduct, a violation level offense, following a traffic stop on Wakefield Street due to modified emissions on his vehicle making sounds consistent with gunfire.
Saint-Val was issued a hand summons and given a court date for Dec, 16 in Rochester District Court.
Rochester Police said in a release that they continue to investigate tips coming in on this ongoing issue and will continue to conduct traffic enforcement regarding vehicles with these types of modifications.
Emission tampering is not limited to one type of vehicle; it occurs across commercial trucks, passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and agricultural and forestry equipment.