NEW SMYRNA BEACH – 49-year-old Jason Brzuszkiewicz was arrested in New Smyrna Beach Tuesday after allegedly driving his pickup truck around a posted barrier and into the Atlantic Ocean. The bizarre incident was caught on video and quickly became locally viral.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office did not provide too much information about why Brzuszkiewicz is thought to have done what he did, but they did confirm he was taken into custody. Brzuszkiewicz was charged with entering the beach through an unauthorized approach, an offense with a $200 bond. He posted that bond about 12 hours after booking, and is now a free man again.
According to the VSO, Brzuszkiewicz drove past a sign reading ‘DO NOT ENTER’ before reaching the beach sand. The stunning video suggests he immediately made a break for the choppy ocean waves in front of him. Brzuszkiewicz’s truck is seen having difficulty pushing through the water, which at times reaches the bottom of his windows. As waves hit the truck it’s shown bobbing up and down.
Toward the end of the video Brzuszkiewicz is seen steering right, toward dry land, but then making a sharp left back into the sea. When questioned by deputies, he appears to say something like, “it’s not my fault the truck don’t surf”. The exact wording is hard to make out against the heavy winds on the deputy’s body cam. “Can I get in trouble for this?” he continued. He was informed that he could, indeed, get in trouble for this.
Brzuszkiewicz’s only other criminal booking in Volusia County occurred just this past Sunday, when he was charged with defrauding an innkeeper for under $1,000. He posted the $500 bond for that offense about eight hours later, and was free for another two days before the truck incident occurred.
