A 49-year-old man from New York was arrested in Florida this week after he was allegedly filmed driving his pickup truck onto a closed beach and then steering directly into the ocean, where he could be seen riding along the shoreline and attempting to do doughnuts in the surf. Jason Brzuszkiewicz was taken into custody on Tuesday, shortly before the video of his escapade went viral on social media.
According to a news release from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Brzuszkiewicz drove his truck around a closed gate with a sign on it reading “DO NOT ENTER” in order to access the New Smyrna beach.
The sheriff’s office also shared a video of the incident, which was filmed by a witness at the scene, to the agency’s Facebook page. The footage appears to show Brzuszkiewicz cruising down the beach about 15 feet from the shoreline as small waves break onto the driver’s side of his white pickup. He then stops or gets stuck briefly as a larger wave appears to jostle the car around and break over the cab of the truck.
The car then drives away from the ocean toward the shore before appearing to try and do a doughnut and driving back about 20 to 25 feet back into the water.
The video also included body camera footage from the deputies who placed Brzuszkiewicz under arrest.
As one of the deputies is describing to the other how Brzuszkiewicz “drove through the water,” Brzuszkiewicz, who seemed to be using his hat to hide his face, can be heard shouting, “It’s not my fault the truck don’t surf.”
When told he should not have been driving on the beach, Brzuszkiewicz replies, “I thought I was in England.”
The deputy tells him they are in fact not in England, to which Brzuszkiewicz replies, “Are we not in Kansas anymore?” The deputy replies with a simple, “No.”
“Can I get in trouble for that,” Brzuszkiewicz asks.
“Yeah,” the deputy says. “Jail time if need be.”
Following his arrest, Brzuszkiewicz was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail and charged with entering the beach through an unauthorized approach and violating an ordinance for failing to pay vehicular access fees. He was released the same day after posting bond of $200.
Watch the full video below.
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