Residents' brawl in East Jakarta's Klender causes traffic jam over 2km
A street brawl between residents has occurred again on Jalan I Gusti Ngurah Rai in Klender, Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, on Monday morning, causing a traffic jam stretching over 2 kilometres.
“It’s a mess, really. It’s Monday, people are starting their day, and in the morning, there’s already this long traffic jam because of the fight,” said motorcyclist Alwan (32) at the scene in East Jakarta on Monday.
Violent clashes began early morning, bringing traffic flow from Bekasi to Cipinang to a complete standstill.
The clash between residents of Kebon Singkong, Klender, and Cipinang Jagal, Pulogadung, forced motorcyclists and drivers to stop and wait for the situation to calm before proceeding through the area.
Both groups were seen attacking each other with sharp weapons, stones, and firecrackers. The tense situation caused road users to pull over to avoid being hit.
According to Alwan, the resident clashes not only endanger safety but also disrupt the daily activities of people trying to go to work.
“Such unproductive actions should be dealt with firmly to prevent recurrence,” Alwan said.
Meanwhile, motorcyclist Rio (40) said the fights on Jalan I Gusti Ngurah Rai do not occur daily but are frequent enough to cause public concern. The resulting traffic jams are also seen as detrimental to road users.
“Yes, it’s not every day. It’s rare, but when it happens like this, there’s a traffic jam, which still harms the public and road users,” Rio added.
“Hopefully, everything is dealt with firmly. So our work isn’t disrupted by such actions,” Rio said.
A long traffic jam stretched over 2 km, with vehicles from Bekasi to Cipinang nearly motionless during the brawl.
Some drivers even opted for alternative routes to avoid the clash site.
Joint police and Satpol PP officers intervened to disperse the brawl. After over an hour, authorities managed to control the situation using tear gas to repel both groups of residents.
Local residents expressed unease as the brawls reportedly occur frequently in the morning at the location. They hope security forces will increase patrols to prevent similar incidents.
Despite the establishment of a joint command post and security presence, the two resident groups reportedly continue to brawl when officers are distracted. This has led the public to demand stricter monitoring, especially during high-risk morning hours.
Besides disrupting residents’ activities and road users, the brawls are also deemed a threat to public safety. Residents hope the government and security forces will quickly find a permanent solution to stop the recurring inter-resident conflicts in the area.