YouTube Video Shows Speeding, Wrong-Way Driver In Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — A video posted to YouTube on May 5 shows a speeding vehicle racing through empty Stamford streets, including past Stamford Police Headquarters on Bedford Street where the driver appears to yell profanities at an officer in a police car.

As of Thursday afternoon, the video, posted to the YouTube account "SqueezeBenz," amassed 612,000 views. The YouTube account has 242,000 subscribers and features similar videos that appeared to be recorded in New Jersey and New York City.

In the nearly five-and-a-half-minute video, through cameras mounted on the roof and the interior, a white vehicle can be seen traveling down the wrong way on Bedford Street at excessive speeds and slowing down in front of SPD Headquarters with the engine revving.

Warning: the video contains graphic language

The driver then heads back toward the police building on Bedford Street and stops in front of a police officer inside a police SUV at the entrance, the video shows. The driver shouts at the officer, continues to rev the engine, and speeds off.

In a later clip, the driver pulls into the entrance of headquarters and continues the same behavior before backing out and speeding away.

It's unclear when exactly the video was recorded, but it appears to have been recorded in the early morning hours.

There is a disclaimer in the video and in the caption of the posting that reads in part, "The stunts and tricks displayed in this video are performed by trained professionals, in controlled environments, keeping in mind all the required safety measures."

On Monday during the Stamford Vision Zero Task Force's monthly meeting, Sgt. Jeffrey Booth, who leads the department's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad, was asked about the incident.

Booth said he saw the video the day before.

"All he's doing is trying to bait police officers into a pursuit. He's just trying to bait officers into a pursuit so he can record it on video. He's done it in the past. He's known to some New York police departments, and he's done it there," Booth said.

"We're not going to chase him, because we're not allowed to chase him," Booth said, referring to CT police pursuit policy. "And we're not going to let ourselves get baited into a YouTube video and put the public at even more risk than they already are."

Booth told Patch Thursday the behavior exhibited in the video is dangerous.

"Reckless driving such as this should never be used as a source of entertainment, and is extremely dangerous," Booth said. "Putting someone else's life at risk for video views is not acceptable and should not be tolerated."

Lt. Jerry Junes of the SPD confirmed with Patch that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.