Fire and rescue helicopter
The Sunshine State has produced countless stories that have defined the essence of the mythical “Florida Man.” Now, we have a new entry in that particular canon courtesy of a guy who was arrested for allegedly attempting to steal a helicopter that was dispatched to transport victims of a car crash he was responsible for.
I feel like most people who spend a fair amount of time on the internet are familiar with the concept of the “Florida Man,” which is the phrase that has routinely appeared in headlines describing the many bizarre and borderline unbelievable stories involving the misadventures of guys in that state over the years.
Florida’s ability to produce those tales at a seemingly disproportionate rate is frequently linked back to the “Sunshine Laws” that were designed to give members of the press (and public) easy access to government documents, including the arrest records that highlight the many strange ways people there have managed to run afoul of the law.
Now, the Florida Man has struck again thanks to what unfolded on a highway north of Tampa Bay last week.
A man was arrested for attempting to steal a medical helicopter after causing a car crash in Florida
According to Fox13, first responders were called to a stretch of I-75 in Hernando County shortly after midnight last Friday after a man traveling north in a pickup truck “veered off the road, struck another vehicle and overturned into the woods.”
The driver, identified as 28-year-old Riley Ferrer, was not seriously injured in the crash, but the same could not be said for the two people in the car he collided with. A  BayFlight medical helicopter was dispatched to fly them to a nearby hospital, but police say things took an unexpected turn when Ferrer ran toward the chopper and attempted to steal it as the victims were being prepared for transport.
He was not able to actually fly away, and members of the Florida Highway Patrol were able to remove him from the aircraft before driving him to a hospital for evaluation. It appears he was dealing with a mental health situation when you consider he reportedly told officers he lost control of his truck because he “saw the anti-Christ” while he was driving, and he was subsequently booked at the Hernando County Detention Center after being discharged.
Ferrer was hit with three counts of resisting arrest, and he was being held without bond after also being charged for burglary of an occupied conveyance over his unsuccessful attempt to commandeer the helicopter. It was able to transport the victims for treatment, but there have been no updates on their condition as of this writing.