NFL star's supercar convoy controversy?

[disinfected]

Anyone read about this? Proof that you can just about get away with anything if you have money..


(From USA Today)
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...h-race-2012-by-new-jersey-cops/1#.T5WHy6trNK0

New San Francisco 49ers RB Brandon Jacobs wasn't known for his breakaway speed during his seven-year stint with the New York Giants ... at least not on the field.

Jacobs was one of the drivers in a convoy of approximately 25-30 luxury sports cars which were escorted down the Garden State Parkway to Atlantic City by two Jersey troopers March 30, per The (Newark) Star-Ledger. According to witnesses, the cars sped down the toll road at speeds exceeding 100 mph.

According to accounts reported by the Star-Ledger, there were "two State Police patrol cars with their emergency lights flashing driving in front of and behind the southbound caravan, which included dozens of Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and other vehicles, all with their license plates covered with tape."

Motorists on the road that day have expressed scary accounts and outrage.

"I had the great pleasure today of nearly being killed by, not one, but two, Lamborghinis traveling in excess of 110 mph in a (police) escorted 'caravan' of approximately 30 exotic vehicles all traveling well over 100 mph," witness Wayne Gantt wrote in an e-mail to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, adding that the cars weaved dangerously across the road.

Gantt called the convoy "Death Race 2012."

Jacobs' agent confirmed "Brandon was part of a group that went down to Atlantic City on March 30" but did not provide further details.

The matter is under investigation by New Jersey police.


Apparently this guy has quite the collection.

His GT-R

 

[Tornado]

I love it when eyewitness accounts go so crazy just so the person can be featured in the news.

 

[Omnis]

The police had their sirens on. Stop being a New Jersey driver and GTFO of the way.

 

[RocZX]

If they don't have any video of them speeding and driving dangerously on the road, the cops can't really do anything to the owners of the cars. How could they prove that the cars were speeding and driving reckless?

 

[Dennisch]

Motorists on the road that day have expressed scary accounts and outrage.

"I had the great pleasure today of nearly being killed by, not one, but two

Boofrikkinhoo.

 

[Kent]

Jersey drivers are just mad because you can't fist pump while driving a stick-shift.

 

[Blitz24]

The problem is going to be with the NJPD, NOT Jacobs. The PD should not have been speeding down NJ's 2nd busiest highway on a Friday Afternoon for a convoy.

 

[Dennisch]

Why all the fuzz about it? Nothing happened. Everything went well. Or does someone see this as an opportunity to start a lawsuit, and make a quick buck?

 

[Nish]

The problem here is having money does not (or should not) mean you can drive on public roads in excessively high speeds.

 

[Dennisch]

The police joined them. With 2 cars. All went well.

And 100mph isn't exactly what you call excessive speeds..

 

[Nish]

Thats the other part of the problem, what could be that important that football stars need to be escorted at those speeds. The quote was "travelling well over 100mph", if I remember correctly freeways in NJ have a speed limit of 65mph so that is indeed very excessive.

 

[Dennisch]

Again, police escort. Nothing happened. No need for a big fuzz. And the police departement probably got a few extra bucks to spend this year. /bribery.

 

[Nish]

Agreed and thats why this is a news story, bribery being leaked to news stations creates alot of talking. I don't think it should go any further than speeding fines and the officers being fired. Not big story to me but since it's out there appropriate thing's should be done.

 

[BobbyBRAKEaNek]

I doubt that they were bribed. When ever us sportbike guys do a charity or fundraiser ride with the cops escorting us, they ask what kind of speed we would like to do. Slow in town and above the speed limit on the backroads...

 

[Organ-Donor]

Nice job reppin' the GTR Jacobs. Most sports starts hover around Lambo's and Mercedes (big name brands). Although I'm sure he has quite the stable of cars. Very cool to hear he's a gearhead.

Cool quotes from the article:
While out at SEMA I made it a point to call Brandon on Tuesday to get his first hand account of the car and his first impressions. Brandon was ECSTATIC!! The car was everything he had ever hoped it would be and more…. and that was on PUMP gas!

I got a text later that afternoon “It’s making me smile ear to ear”

He said he was afraid to try race gas as he feared it would be so addicting he would never want to go back to pump. Apparently he wasn’t too afraid because he had four 54 gallon drums of race gas delivered to his house LOL!

 

[Omnis]

So the troopers got suspended because of some jerk whose fist pumping session was interrupted because he had to put two hands on the wheel for a change.

Stop checking yourself out in the mirrors and look at the flashing sirens next time. If the cops didn't have their lights and sirens on it would be a legit complaint. But they did. It's a joisey thing.

edit: Kent, LOL. Fist-pump!

 

[Tornado]

I don't think it should go any further than speeding fines and the officers being fired.

You want the police officers to get fired because some Jersey driver has a bee up his ass and was whining that he had to follow traffic laws when they didn't (without even knowing the circumstances that made it so they didn't)?

 

[Nish]

2 other officers were just suspended because of this in Jersey and a dispatcher relocated to a different station pending investigation. As the police department says this was not accepted and was acted upon by officers for a local exotic club rally through the streets. So yes if they did this all on their own terms they should be gone just like any other job. I get tired of police doing whatever they want with little or no punishment.

As for the driver I couldn't care less if he enjoyed it or cried about it (like he is) Or if he were non existant altogether. The problem here is things being done that potentially could have caused people harm. Yes I know it didn't but increased speeds add risk, especially when the rest of traffic is trying to get out of the way.

http://jalopnik.com/5904670/watch-t...ource=jalopnik_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[Keef]

Sounds like the New Jersey State Police got in trouble for it. Got in trouble for being awesome.

 

[G.T.Ace]

In before "It's a Jersey thing".

 

[Encyclopedia]

100mph+ sounds pretty excessive if the highest limit is 65. Don't know why people would defend that,

 

[Omnis]

In before "It's a Jersey thing".

too late

So the troopers got suspended because of some jerk whose fist pumping session was interrupted because he had to put two hands on the wheel for a change.

Stop checking yourself out in the mirrors and look at the flashing sirens next time. If the cops didn't have their lights and sirens on it would be a legit complaint. But they did. It's a joisey thing.

edit: Kent, LOL. Fist-pump!

 

[ZohsixGT5]

How do they know it was 100mph+? Did one of the witnesses speed up to the pace of the other cars? Probably not. Loud engines and flashy cars tend to seem like they're going alot faster than they really are. Especially if you're a moron who thinks exotics are only status symbols. My guess is the great drivers of NJ were jealous.

The biggest joke is when the witness is saying he was ALMOST killed twice. By that logic you are ALMOST killed about every 30 seconds just driving normally.

 

[G.T.Ace]

too late

Awww man, I even used CTRL+F too search for it.

 

[theotherspongey]

I think the real problem was because of how the police joined in. If it was just a bunch of normal speeding people, they would try to stop them all. But since these were rich people driving exotics, they felt as though they should have fun by joining in.

They all should have been ticketed for speeding. Period.

 

[Keef]

In before "It's a Jersey thing".

I crashed my car in Jersey a while back. They didn't care how fast I was going, and they managed to stop traffic, push my car across five lanes, and restart traffic within about five minutes.

Jersey cops don't screw around.

 

[Mr_X]

Silly people

 

[Kylehnat]

100mph+ sounds pretty excessive if the highest limit is 65. Don't know why people would defend that,

Because the normal flow of traffic in certain eastern-U.S. cities is ~90 mph.

[Sort-of-related-rant]
And can news outlets quit reporting "eyewitness" speed estimates? It bugs the crap out of me when "eyewitnesses reported that the suspect was traveling in excess of 120 mph..." As someone else in this thread hinted at, eyewitnesses have no clue how fast someone else is going unless they're close to that speed themselves. At legal cruising-speed, most people couldn't tell the difference between a car passing them at 80 and a car passing them at 130. Leave the speed estimates to the police report.
[/rant]

 

[Pupik]

^ ...sensationalized bias?

"N.J. Attorney General's Office investigating 'Death Race 2012' down Parkway to AC"

Really? I didn't think anyone still went to Atlantic City?

 

[Tornado]

Everyone should visit the real-life Boardwalk at least once in their life.