He actually walked away from the stunt.
After growing up watching The Dukes of Hazzard and playing with all the Hot Wheels, it’s only natural for me to fantasize about jumping a car. At the same time, my adult brain remembers physics and seeing clips of actual car jumps, especially what happens during the landing. Apparently, a 26-year-old Allen Park man either doesn’t know any of that or is just really, really impulsive. Whatever the reason, he decided to jump his Dodge Charger on the Fort Street bascule bridge as it was rising. The guy actually pulled the stunt off, but now he gets free housing and meals paid for by taxpayers.
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According to a local report, draw bridge operator Andre Locke saw the Dodge driver gun it past the barrier and speed toward the gap in an attempt to jump it. “No he ain’t,” was Locke’s response when he realized what the man planned.
After successfully completing the jump, all four tires on the Charger blew out and the muscle car hit the gate on the opposite side. But the driver wasn’t injured, amazingly. As Launchpad McQuack would say, any landing you can walk away from is a good one.
Detroit police weren’t so impressed by the stunt. At first they thought he’d gone into the Rouge River, but then learned he made it to the other side. While that would’ve been worse since the response would’ve been a dangerous rescue effort, but they did arrest the guy and are anticipated to charge him with malicious destruction of property of more than $1,000.
That doesn’t mean the police department is without any humor. They reportedly referenced The Dukes of Hazzard when dispatching the call, which is the logical conclusion for anyone who didn’t grow up in a mountain cabin without electricity.
Police suspect the driver was under the influence of whippits, but that hasn’t been confirmed.
Source: Detroit Free Press
