Charges Against Gemballa Mirage GT Wrecking Spree Driver Dropped
Amidst the general ‘WTF’ backdrop of the early pandemic days last April, we all watched astonished as a Gemballa Mirage GT was filmed going on a wrecking spree in New York City. Making the most of the quiet streets of NYC in lockdown, the driver went on a high-speed, drug-fuelled blat and smashed into five parked cars.
We’re not talking about minor prangs, either - CCTV footage showed the Porsche Carrera GT-based hypercar, one of only 25, smash into a Toyota Sienna so hard it was punted out of the frame. The poor minivan is seen in one of the many viral clips doing the rounds at the time with its rear end completely stoved in by about a metre.
With the Gemballa left pretty much destroyed and undrivable (we’re amazed it kept going as long as it did), the driver, Benjamin Chen was arrested and charged with Operating a Motor Vehicle Impaired by Drugs and Reckless Driving. This week, nearly a year on from the incident, those charges have been dropped.
The reason? A lack of evidence, despite the wealth of footage (some of it clearly showing the person behind the wheel) and multiple witnesses to the carnage. “The People are moving to dismiss this matter because the case cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” a record from the court appearance on Monday states. At this point, we’ll merely point out that Chen is an exceptionally wealthy man who’ll inevitably have access to exceptionally expensive lawyers. Make of that what you will.
Chen has a history of demolishing supercars. During the 2013 Gold Rush Rally, he crashed a McLaren 12C into an industrial unit, and it’s claimed he’s linked to the wrecking of a Lamborghini Murcielago SV. Meanwhile, one memorable video of Chen leaving a fuel station in a Mercedes CLK shows how little he seems to care for the rare cars his immense wealth allows him to buy.
Source: Road & Track
Comments
What a scumbag. Just shows you can get away with anything, as long as you have enough money.
Unbelievable…
This guy deserves a Nissan 350Z, not a Porsche Carrera GT based Gemballa Mirage GT because the Mirage was too good to be thrashed by an alcoholic like this guy. But I would doubt a 350Z driver would be this much of an ‘arsehole’, driving under influence of alcohol and smashing things.