NYPD Arrests Alleged Cop-Taunting Viral NYC Street Racer

Whether you call it swimming, cutting up, or white lining, the alarming social media trend of drivers showing off their reckless highway speed runs has placed police departments across America on high alert. One of the most infamous online figures is a YouTuber known as @Squeeze.Benz, who has garnered millions of views for antic like drifting through Times Square in a BMW M4 and myriad other police-evading antics. At least, he did for a while.

According to the New York Police Department, @Squeeze.Benz — identified by the department as 19-year-old Antonio Ginestri — was arrested on May 16 after a coordinated effort between the NYPD's Auto Crimes Manhattan Unit and the Newark Police Department.

According to a post on X by NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD was proud of its arrest of "one of the most prolific street racers in NYC," saying that Ginestri will no longer be able to treat the "Big Apple like the Indy 500." A mugshot posted on the Newark Department of Public Safety Instagram shares a similar sentiment, noting that the joint investigation stemmed from a police-eluding incident in Newark on April 11.

“Police Chief Miranda and I commend our detectives for leveraging their sharp technological ingenuity to identify this driver, who mistakenly believed he would get away with jeopardizing public safety in Newark’s Arts and Education District,” Newark Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé said.

Following the alleged April evasion, detectives began to evaluate social media videos posted by Ginestri and other creators like YouTuber @N3ON for additional clues about the driver. When Ginestri posted video from April 11, it reportedly allow Newark detectives to coordinate with the NYPD in identifying and apprehending the Queens County resident.

While he was arrested in New York, Ginestri's arrest records show that the teenage driver is being held in on charges from another state (most likely New Jersey) and that he is out on bail as of this story's publication.

Ginestri could face additional scrutiny as a result of a viral YouTube video posted by @N3ON. The video depicts a driver who identifies himself as Squeeze Benz swerving along the Grand Central Parkway in Queens, New York in a Lamborghini Urus, ultimately rear-ending a yellow taxi cab and fleeing the scene at a high rate of speed.

"To anyone thinking about putting themselves and others in danger, recklessly zooming through the streets of NYC, think again! You will be arrested and your car will be seized. You will face justice," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry.

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