A Palm Coast man was arrested Friday evening after a Florida sheriff said he watched the driver tear down Interstate 95 at speeds reaching 125 mph. The six-mile pursuit unfolded across Flagler and Volusia counties, with three passengers inside the Dodge Challenger.
Shortly before 5 p.m., Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly was off duty and driving south near the State Road 100 exit when the white 2016 Challenger with black racing stripes passed him, according to a report by Tampa Free Press. Staly was reportedly heading to a dinner meeting with his wife in an unmarked agency vehicle.
Using the vehicle’s certified speedometer, Staly paced the Challenger between 115 and 125 mph for nearly six miles. The driver allegedly swerved across all three lanes and passed other vehicles within three or four feet of their rear bumpers.
Staly eventually activated his lights and siren, and the driver pulled off I-95 just south of Old Dixie Highway in Volusia County. As deputies made the arrest, passing motorists who had apparently been cut off honked their horns, as reported by Tampa Free Press.
Florida’s Super-Speeder Charge Raises The Stakes
The driver, identified as 22-year-old Arul Nayak, was charged with willful and wanton reckless driving and a violation of Florida’s dangerous excessive speeding law. Under Florida Statute 316.1922, driving at 100 mph or more in a way that threatens people or property can qualify as dangerous excessive speeding, as can driving at least 50 mph over the posted limit.
The Florida Department of Transportation says state highways may have posted speed limits of up to 70 mph on interstates, meaning a 125-mph run could exceed that limit by at least 55 mph where a 70-mph limit applies. The statute allows a first conviction for dangerous excessive speeding to bring up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both.
Nayak reportedly turned off the car, placed the keys on the roof and surrendered without incident. He was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail on a $500 bond, and the report said he had no prior criminal record.
Nayak also told Staly he had a final pilot’s exam scheduled for Saturday and hoped to be released in time to take it. The sheriff’s account framed the incident less as a momentary lapse than as a deliberate decision that endangered the driver, his passengers and everyone else sharing I-95.
