New York man arrested after joyriding in pickup truck in Florida surf: police

Video showed Jason Brzuszkiewicz driving his Dodge Ram Pickup truck onto the shore of New Smyrna Beach

New York man drives truck into ocean at popular Florida beach

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said that Jason Brzuszkiewicz drove around a closed gate marked "Do Not Enter" and accessed the beach in New Smyrna Beach in Florida. (Credit: Volusia Sheriff's Office)

A New York man's joyriding trip among the Florida surf was cut short by police after he deliberately circumvented a closed gate to drive onto the beach.

The event, which was caught on camera, captured Jason Brzuszkiewicz, 49, driving his Dodge Ram Pickup truck onto the shore of New Smyrna Beach just before 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

A press release from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said that Brzuszkiewicz bypassed the closed beach access gate, which was closed to vehicles due to a high tide and a severe wind.

The 48-year-old also failed to pay the vehicular access fee required for beach entry.

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Jason Brzuszkiewicz

Jason Brzuszkiewicz was ultimately arrested for failing to pay the access fee of the beach access toll.  (Volusia Sheriff's Office)

Video of the incident from the sheriff's office showed Brzuszkiewicz in his white pickup truck driving down the shallow waters for over a minute.

In a portion of the clip, Brzuszkiewicz is seen attempting a donut in the shallow water.

Three lifeguards from New Smyrna Beach responded to the deserted beach, and spotted the 48-year-old backing up further into the ocean water.

The lifeguards later told police that they approached Brzuszkiewicz "in case of a medical issue."

New Smyrna Beach lifeguards

New Smyrna Beach lifeguards approached Jason Brzuszkiewicz "in case of a medical issue" and later called local police. ( Volusia Sheriff's Office)

When deputies arrived at the scene, Brzuszkiewicz told them "he wanted to drive on the beach," according to the affidavit, obtained by FOX 35

Deputies informed Brzuszkiewicz that the beach was closed to cars because of bad weather.

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"It's not my fault the truck don't surf," Brzuszkiewicz is heard telling deputies in the footage.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't be driving on the beach when the gates are all closed," a deputy replied. 

PIckup truck

Police said that Jason Brzuszkiewicz was taking a joyride along the closed beach in Florida on Tuesday morning when he was arrested and charged. ( Volusia Sheriff's Office)

"Can I get in trouble for that?" Brzuszkiewicz asks. 

"Yeah, yeah," the deputy said. 

Police arrested Brzuszkiewicz and he was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail. 

He was charged with a violation of Volusia County Ordinance 20-174 [8], the failure to pay vehicular access fee, and was held on a $200 bond.

The truck was also towed by law enforcement.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. 

She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.

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Authored by Sarah Rumpf-Whitten via FoxNews February 6th 2024