Former North Carolina Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn was widely mocked online after allegedly crashing his vehicle into a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) cruiser on Monday, April 15.
Community organizer Alethea Shapiro, a witness to the event, recounted the incident on social media, detailing how a black sports car, which she later identified as belonging to Cawthorn, began tailgating her on Interstate 75. Minutes later, she observed the same vehicle appearing to rear-end an FHP cruiser.
Noting the incident took place "at 4:32pm heading South on I-75 towards Miami around the Big Cypress Reservation," she wrote:
"I accelerated ahead and moved to the right lane in front of a tractor trailer to let the car by. 5 mins later the highway comes to a complete stop, I swerve to the side so no one rear ends me and slow to a halt. Suddenly the car door opens and a man in a wheelchair rolls out."
"At the same moment I have to navigate around his car and I look ahead to see the officer exiting from his rear ended vehicle holding his neck in the left lane as well. I pulled over to the right shoulder lane and stopped to ask if everyone was ok and to offer assistance."
"I couldnt believe my eyes. It occured [sic] to me that former CONGRESSMAN CAWTHORNE from NC was the black CAR that stormed by me in an angry road rage tantrum. I spoke to the cop to see if he was ok as he was quite stunned & kept reaching for his neck."
"He said he was ok, asked if I was a witness, (I wasnt, I must have been 30 seconds behind) and I gave them water as i didnt know what else to do after he thanked me for stopping."
You can see her post and a video of what happened below.
An FHP spokesman confirmed the details of the incident, stating that an FHP vehicle was indeed rear-ended by a Mercedes driven by a 28-year-old man from Cape Coral:
"On April 15, 2024, at 16:30 hours, an FHP State Trooper vehicle was rear-ended on Interstate 75, at mile marker 60, in a construction zone, in Collier County, by a 2021 Mercedes, driven by a 28-year-old male of Cape Coral."
"The State Trooper sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital," Bueno said. "The crash remains under investigation."
The Asheville Citizen-Times reported in November 2022 that Cawthorn had purchased a home in Cape Coral, further confirming that Cawthorn was the individual involved in the crash
Cawthorn was mocked after news of the crash went viral.
Cawthorn, who rose to prominence in 2020 after winning the race for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District at the age of 25 but lost his re-election bid in the 2022 Republican primary, has a history of reckless driving.
In March 2022, he was charged with driving with a revoked license for the 2nd time, a Class 3 misdemeanor in North Carolina. The Asheville-Citizen Times reported that highway patrol pulled Cawthorn over in Cleveland County. The outlet also confirmed that in 2017, authorities charged Cawthorn with driving with a revoked license, though that charge was later dismissed.
Cawthorn also has a record for speeding: He was charged with speeding earlier this year after he drove 87 miles per hour in a 70-mile-per-hour zone and was previously brought up on the same charge in October 2021 for driving 89 miles per hour in a 65-mile-per-hour zone.
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