If you come into a lot of money, you might consider buying yourself a Lamborghini. They’re flashy, fast, and fun. Up from there, you might like to grab a helicopter. Heck, if you had both, why not take them out for a fun day with some fireworks? YouTuber Alex Choi did just that, and now he’s paying the price.
As reported by gaming site Dexerto, Choi is now facing federal charges for his vehicular escapades. A video that he posted last year featured women shooting fireworks at his Lamborghini from a helicopter as he drifted the Italian hypercar on a pad at dusk. The visuals were epic, and it appears the charges will be similarly sized.
A criminal complaint was issued for Choi on June 4 regarding the matter that occurred “on or about June 27, 2023.” Of prime concern was the act of “causing the placement of explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.” As you might imagine, the authorities take that one quite seriously.
This thing goes all the way to the top. Choi was targeted by a special agent of the United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. You probably didn’t know they existed, but they’re out there, taking names and locking up those who commit the worst transport-themed crimes. Tire marks were apparently used as evidence by investigators to tie the video’s events to the El Mirage Dry Lakebed in California, which is Federal property.
Choi’s video allegedly breaks all other kinds of laws, too. As per the criminal complaint. Choi didn’t obtain FAA, ATF, or BLM permits or waivers for the filming activity or explosives as required by law. There are strict laws around fireworks in California, as well, with Choi allegedly getting around this by sourcing them from Nevada.
Choi isn’t the only one in hot water, either. The hired helicopter pilot in the video has also had their license rescinded by the FAA for the low-altitude flying involved in the video, as well as the firing of fireworks from the aircraft. The pilot also allegedly switched off the helicopter’s transponder for several hours during the filming. The complaint alleges that the pilot gamely tried to dodge responsibility, but to no avail.
On July 23, 2023, during a phone call with FAA Inspectors, the pilot of the HELICOPTER said he did not know anything about the El Mirage video but said it was probably done in Mexico. On July 24, 2023, during a follow-up phone call with FAA Inspectors, the pilot stated, among other things, that he did not want CHOI to know he was talking to the FAA, and that CHOI was doing unsafe activities involving cars and aircraft.
In an e-mail dated July 25, 2023, the pilot wrote to the FAA Inspector that he was not the owner of the HELICOPTER and could not involve himself in any investigations concerning the pilots who use it.
@alex.choi.yt Destroying a Lamborghini With Fireworks | Part 2 #alexchoi #car #fyp #viral #foryou #trending
Choi’s channel no longer hosts the video, but remnants still exist around the Internet. Clips are on TikTok and YouTube that show some of the action. Much of it was blurry or framed poorly, with the helicopter and the Lamborghini rarely in a well-placed shot at the same time. Much of the footage was captured on 360-degree action cameras. These can be useful for capturing an event from all angles, but they don’t remove the need to plan and execute a shot carefully to get the best results.
We’d like to see the same concept redone with proper permits and proper cinematography for the best results. Ideally for the next Doja Cat film clip or something. If The Autopian can get releases and permits for shoots, certainly other folks can.
Image credits: Alex Choi, Millionaire Motorsport via YouTube screenshot, alex.choi.yt via TikTok screenshot
Isn’t this the same dude who’s made headlines before for seriously endangering and sometimes actually injuring people for reckless crap? This one feels pretty low on the harm and actual endangerment scale for him. Funny that it’s the one he may get in actual legal trouble for. I guess we’ll see just how much legal counsel his parents will fund.
Isn’t this the same dude who’s made headlines before for seriously endangering and sometimes actually injuring people for reckless crap? This one feels pretty low on the harm and actual endangerment scale for him. Funny that it’s the one he may get in actual legal trouble for. I guess we’ll see just how much legal counsel his parents will fund.
I agree with all comments that this is consumption porn, and I look forward to hearing about the final charges/punishment.
I also tried to play devil’s advocate with myself, how does one address the “Freedoms!” crowd?
But it comes down to laws. We have a society; that society has laws. If you don’t agree with those laws, and think something should be allowed, then petition to change them. Get people onboard with you. Vote for change. Run for office.
Until then, guess what? You have to follow those laws. Even if you’re rich; even if you’re famous; whether you’re a stupid You-tube troll or a former President.
I agree with all comments that this is consumption porn, and I look forward to hearing about the final charges/punishment.
I also tried to play devil’s advocate with myself, how does one address the “Freedoms!” crowd?
But it comes down to laws. We have a society; that society has laws. If you don’t agree with those laws, and think something should be allowed, then petition to change them. Get people onboard with you. Vote for change. Run for office.
Until then, guess what? You have to follow those laws. Even if you’re rich; even if you’re famous; whether you’re a stupid You-tube troll or a former President.
Dear Alex,
You don’t go to jail for doing illegal things. You go to jail for getting caught. This isn’t even “caught,” but more of an own-goal situation.
I bet he hangs out with SBF.
Dear Alex,
You don’t go to jail for doing illegal things. You go to jail for getting caught. This isn’t even “caught,” but more of an own-goal situation.
I bet he hangs out with SBF.
I can appreciate that nobody was hurt and no innocent bystanders were ever put at risk. On the scale of things our federal law enforcement should care about this should rank pretty low.
But then they posted it on the internet… Should have waited until after the statue of limitations.
I can appreciate that nobody was hurt and no innocent bystanders were ever put at risk. On the scale of things our federal law enforcement should care about this should rank pretty low.
But then they posted it on the internet… Should have waited until after the statue of limitations.
This was stupid as hell, but at least it was an epic variety of stupid – if you’re gonna go to jail, “felonious shooting of fireworks at a lamborghini from a helicopter” is a pretty fucking rad way to do it. They’re out in the middle of nowhere with nobody around, and I get the feeling that everyone involved would be fine with having this wind up as their epitaph.
I fail to see the ‘rad’ part of tearing up BLM land to do it.
It’s a dry lake bed.
It’s one thing to go for a land speed record or something but to destroy a fragile environment such as that for clicks is just criminal and should be treated as such.
> fragile environment
Am I missing something about the dry lake bed? The other approved uses of the El Mirage Dry Lakebed include amateur rocketry, experimental aircraft, and high-speed runs – it doesn’t exactly sound like the everglades out there.
This was stupid as hell, but at least it was an epic variety of stupid – if you’re gonna go to jail, “felonious shooting of fireworks at a lamborghini from a helicopter” is a pretty fucking rad way to do it. They’re out in the middle of nowhere with nobody around, and I get the feeling that everyone involved would be fine with having this wind up as their epitaph.
I fail to see the ‘rad’ part of tearing up BLM land to do it.
It’s a dry lake bed.
It’s one thing to go for a land speed record or something but to destroy a fragile environment such as that for clicks is just criminal and should be treated as such.
> fragile environment
Am I missing something about the dry lake bed? The other approved uses of the El Mirage Dry Lakebed include amateur rocketry, experimental aircraft, and high-speed runs – it doesn’t exactly sound like the everglades out there.
Does becoming a “successful YouTuber” (whatever the hell that is) somehow starts actively killing your braincells? Look at how Linus Sebastian started, look at him now (he’s now the Mr. Beast of tech). Even Zach from JerryrigEverything just wrapped a whole Cybertruck in gold. I thought he was beyond that crap.
As a species, we are definitely getting dumber and dumber and we’ll end up like pandas: not fucking, eating bamboo and waiting for our extinction.
Not to defend dumb you-tube stuff, but the JerryRigEverything gold cybertruck episode was more about the stainless steel electroplating process. It involved a cybertruck owned by RIDGE that was being gold plated as part of their gold wallet promotion. It was actually pretty informative, and less “look at me while I shoot at my 24k gold cybertruck!”
Does becoming a “successful YouTuber” (whatever the hell that is) somehow starts actively killing your braincells? Look at how Linus Sebastian started, look at him now (he’s now the Mr. Beast of tech). Even Zach from JerryrigEverything just wrapped a whole Cybertruck in gold. I thought he was beyond that crap.
As a species, we are definitely getting dumber and dumber and we’ll end up like pandas: not fucking, eating bamboo and waiting for our extinction.
Not to defend dumb you-tube stuff, but the JerryRigEverything gold cybertruck episode was more about the stainless steel electroplating process. It involved a cybertruck owned by RIDGE that was being gold plated as part of their gold wallet promotion. It was actually pretty informative, and less “look at me while I shoot at my 24k gold cybertruck!”
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