If you think the viral Tesla Model S jump that happened three weeks back was an isolated incident, you’d be dead wrong, as there’s at least one more confirmed stunt on the same location, though it’s not clear if it happened before or after.
Discovered by The Drive, the latest in a long line of idiots is a BMW X2 owner who jumps over a line of fire before smashing its undercarriage on the pavement in a shower of sparks. However, the YouTuber ‘AriAndCars’ claims in a comment that the video was shot “2 months” before the viral Tesla jump. Believe that if you will, as the same uploader includes a disclaimer stating “we have permission to perform all the stunts you just saw in this video. Don’t try this shat at home”. Sure buddy. The same video appeared on Instagram from user Trophyburo dated March 31 – the Tesla incident happened on March 19.
See: Tesla Driver Stupidly Aims For The Stars With Unbelievably Reckless Jump In Los Angeles
Regardless, there are also reports of somebody playing Evel Knievel by jumping a dirt bike off the road, just one day after the original viral jump occurred.
While not a copycat because it happened prior, a video of a Tesla Model X doing its best Falcon Heavy impersonation was posted to Twitter in 2018, with a response directly from the company’s CEO.
It doesn’t help that people like Elon Musk are bringing attention to the culprits by retweeting the videos, without doing so much as to condemn the act, but instead seemingly getting excited about it by posting “!”.
The stupid stunt happened on Baxter Street in LA, known for its steep 32 percent gradient which was originally used to test a vehicle’s horsepower.
The police still haven’t caught the driver responsible for the original jump, despite offering a $1,000 reward for information that could help lead to them. Originally, a TikToker claimed responsibility for the stunt, but that claim was later redacted once things got more serious.
That reward money is just a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of damage that was done to the car that Tesla hit. The Subaru Forester owned by musician Jordan Hook was essentially totally, but luckily, a GoFundMe set up to pay for repairs or purchase a new vehicle crested $20,000.
A very dangerous stunt. See below for details and if you have any information please contact Central Traffic Division. @LAPPL @LabradaAl @LAPDCTD24 @LAPDHQ @LapdTrfg pic.twitter.com/JQJdKjrqdc
— AlMendoza (@LAPDCaptMendoza) March 20, 2022
Why don’t the police just set up shop there and watch for people? Apparently the street is pretty hard to patrol because of the steep grade, but something is going to have to be done to keep copycats from taking flight.
It’s a difficult situation for everybody involved, one which may end up in the road being decomissioned altogether. After all, if the space is taken up by a park or a row of trees, it won’t be possible for stupid stunts like this to keep occurring.