Fourth of July drivers on Interstate 95 near St. Augustine got a whole lot more than bumper-to-bumper traffic when a truck passenger started firing mortar-style fireworks out the window, sending flaming rounds into the median and oncoming lanes.
Newly released helicopter footage shows the pyrotechnics arcing across the highway, narrowly missing other vehicles before deputies swooped in. The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office air unit recorded the stunt from above and later posted the clip, with the pilot heard describing the blasts as "mortar style," according to CBS Miami.
On the ground, body-camera audio captured a deputy telling the truck's occupants that their moves had been caught from the sky. The driver initially tried to deny anything happened, right up until the deputy pointed out the helicopter hovering overhead. The video shows at least one firework bouncing off the pavement and into opposite lanes, a near miss that could easily have turned into a multi-car crash.
Deputies ultimately arrested a passenger and booked him on a felony count of "shooting a deadly missile from a moving vehicle." That charge did not stick for long. The State Attorney's Office later dropped it, News4JAX reported. The station said prosecutors had not yet explained why the case was declined.
The sheriff's office blurred the suspect's face before sharing the clip and did not release his name in its social media post. With the felony off the table for now, investigators are reviewing both the aerial footage and body-camera recordings to see whether other criminal counts or civil fallout could follow.
Charges and the law
Under Florida law, firing or throwing what the state calls a "deadly missile" into an occupied vehicle is a serious crime. The offense is spelled out in Florida Statute 790.19, which makes it a second-degree felony to launch anything capable of causing death or great bodily harm.
Second-degree felonies in Florida can carry sentences of up to 15 years in prison, as outlined in Florida Statute 775.082. Prosecutors do not need to prove that someone was actually hurt to use the deadly missile statute; the law is aimed at conduct that could easily end that way.
Reaction and safety message
The fireworks-on-the-freeway spectacle did not go over well with locals who later watched the video. One resident told reporters, "I can't believe he's driving and shooting them off," according to Action News Jax.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, which released the edited clip, used the viral moment as a cautionary tale. Deputies urged residents to light fireworks only from a stable, hard surface and far away from people, vehicles and buildings. The agency said the video was shared to show how quickly what looks like a holiday stunt can turn a busy highway into a very dangerous place.
