Florida Man Jumps a Rising Drawbridge in a Hyundai Santa Fe

It’s the second time this year someone’s pulled the stunt at this particular bridge in Daytona Beach.

byDerek Shiekhi|
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In the age of deepfake videos and advanced CGI tech, digital special effects can be so convincing that they blur the line between reality and deception beyond recognition. But rest easy: This video of driver bashing through a traffic arm and jumping a Hyundai Santa Fe over the gap of a rising drawbridge in Daytona Beach, Florida this week is neither the product of movie magic nor a staged stunt. This right here is some real deal Florida Man excellence. 

According to Fox 35 Orlando, a security camera positioned on the Main Street Bridge recorded the driver's brief flight on Monday morning. It shows a second-generation Hyundai Santa Fe speeding up the two-lane bridge toward the pair of red and white traffic arms that are supposed to control traffic when the deck is going up. The driver keeps his right foot down and barrels through the right traffic arm, which immediately breaks and leaves a hideous white scar of spiderwebbed glass across the entire width of the windshield.

YouTube | WESH 2 News

Ruinous frontal makeover complete, the driver speeds up the drawbridge’s rising summit with unflinching determination. If you freeze the frame, he appears to be on the phone. And then, he soars.

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Landing on the other side—it's not a huge jump, but a dangerous one nonetheless—the Santa Fe just keeps trucking. The rising bridge blocks the camera's view a few seconds after the jump, but according to FOX 35 Orlando’s Valerie Boey, “The vehicle goes right through the second traffic arm on the way out, heading towards the beach.” Headed to the beach! Of course. You'll notice another driver waiting on the other side in the oncoming lane; the whole thing must've been an interesting sight for them.

As you'd imagine, police are currently looking for the driver, and local officials are issuing public reminders that jumping drawbridges is both illegal and dangerous. That might seem ridiculous, but sadly, some people need to hear it. This lunatic leap wasn’t a one-off. Last month, someone else jumped the very same bridge, and on a motorcycle no less. People die trying this—let's leave it for the movies.

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