A 20-year-old West Valley man who calls himself a digital creator found out the hard way that viral views do not beat traffic laws after troopers say he filmed himself riding on the hood of a moving car on eastbound I-215 and posted it online.
The clip, uploaded March 14, shows the man on the hood between State Street and Union Park Avenue, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. Investigators say the video captured him kneeling with flowers and a ring at one point, then later stretched out on the hood while talking on the phone, all as the car moved along a busy freeway. The stunt racked up millions of views and, troopers say, created a serious risk to both the people in the car and everyone driving around them. In a booking affidavit, the man reportedly admitted he had "made a dumb decision" and said the experience was terrifying.
UHP says it learned of the post on the morning of March 15 and quickly opened an investigation after reviewing the footage. According to KSL, troopers searched the freeway and found multiple red, orange and yellow flowers near the 230 East area of I-215 that matched those seen in the video. Investigators then used the Facebook profile where the clip was posted to identify the man, went to his home and took him into custody, the affidavit states.
While troopers were transporting him to the Salt Lake County Jail, the man again conceded that the stunt was a mistake, according to KSL. His vehicle was impounded for expired registration, and officers reported finding containers with nicotine pouches, an open alcoholic beverage in the center console and two unopened alcoholic beverages in the trunk. He was booked on several misdemeanor counts, including reckless endangerment, aggravated disorderly conduct on a highway, expired registration, open container and being under 21 and possessing alcohol.
What the law says
Under Utah law, reckless endangerment is a class A misdemeanor when someone "recklessly engages in conduct that creates a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury," as laid out in Utah Code §76-5-112.
The state also has a strict open-container rule for vehicles. Utah Code §41-6a-526 bars keeping or drinking from an open alcoholic container in the passenger compartment of a vehicle on a public highway. Separate laws on minors and alcohol, including Utah Code §32B-4-409, prohibit the purchase, possession or consumption of alcohol by anyone under 21. For the full statutory language and potential penalties, see FindLaw on §41-6a-526 and FindLaw on §32B-4-409.
Why troopers flagged the clip
Investigators say the danger went far beyond one man clinging to a hood. If he had slipped off, they note, the result could easily have been a multi-vehicle crash or serious injuries to other drivers and passengers who had nothing to do with the stunt.
Troopers say videos made for social media can quickly cross the line from risky to criminal when they put other road users at risk. In this case, visible details in the footage, including the flowers and the stretch of freeway, helped them track down the location and identify the account behind the post.
Court records will ultimately show whether prosecutors file formal charges beyond the initial booking investigation. For now, troopers say they impounded the vehicle and booked the man into the Salt Lake County Jail as part of their follow-up on the high-profile highway stunt.
