Even after all these years, the Back to the Future franchise, including its non-human star and time-traveling vehicle, the DeLorean DMC-12, remains incredibly popular. If you ever wondered how the iconic time-traveling fire trail from the DeLorean would look like in real life, here’s a possibility.
Mild spoiler: it’s far from the cool accomplishment in the film because it’s the work of a drunk driver. He caused serious property damage and is now facing charges because of it. It happened in Omaha, Nebraska, in the late hours of Saturday night, and of course, he didn’t do it because he wanted to recreate the iconic visual from the movie.
Footage recorded by a doorbell camera and shared with NBC affiliate WOWT (the video is only available at the link) shows a small sedan traveling on a residential street, leaving a trail of fire behind it. Based on the footage, you can’t tell what’s causing the fire, but Chief Deputy Sheriff Way Hudson from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says that it was a fire hydrant.
The driver hit a fire hydrant and then dragged it with the car. The sparks from the hydrant rubbing against the tarmac ignited the gasoline leaking from the pierced tank, so the driver left a trail of fire leading to his driveway. As if that wasn’t enough clue for authorities, they found the car involved in the incident, as well as another one, burned down in the driveway.
According to the same media outlet, the driver was identified and arrested and is now facing charges of second offense DUI, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of a property-damage crash. Hudson underlines that, Back to the Future comparisons aside, this video serves as an indication of how dangerous a drunk driver is.
“The ring cam and the different cameras out there are really helping us now,” the Chief Deputy Sheriff says. “This is a prime example where we can show video evidence of how dangerous someone who is drinking and driving can be, how dangerous they can be.”
For the non-dangerous, completely fictional trail of fire and the even more impressive time-traveling DeLorean, here’s a video to refresh your memory.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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