Daredevil street racer who taunted cops in NYC, NJ for social media clout is busted after he’s linked to IG profile
An obnoxious street-racing influencer was finally arrested after he filmed a series of videos taunting cops in high-speed stunts with expensive cars across New York City and New Jersey, cops said.
Queens daredevil Antonio Ginestri, 19, was nabbed last week after cops linked him to the popular “Squeeze.Benz” account on Instagram and Twitter – and now he’s facing a slew of charges for reckless driving and eluding police highlighted by the videos he posted to his more than 1 million social media followers.
“One of the most prolific street racers in NYC can no longer treat the Big Apple like the Indy 500,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry wrote on X.
Ginestri, of Flushing, is allegedly the man behind the wheel in the “Squeeze.Benz” videos, which feature a driver in a racing helmet hitting speeds of up to 130 mph inside a BMW or Lamborghini. The video shows the driver recklessly driving on crowded public streets, spinning doughnuts around cop cars and blowing through countless red lights.
One such video, titled “Squeeze vs Newark,” shows the driver handing an unknown passenger a mock legal waiver before racing down the New Jersey streets.
When the driver spots a squad car stopped in the middle of the road, he immediately turns and performs several high-speed doughnuts before racing away, leaving the officer in its literal dust.
The driver then encounters several other police cars, which are unable to keep up as the stunt car speeds through several red lights and disappears onto the highway.
The Newark Department of Public Safety said the video was just one of several investigators found where Ginestri was allegedly “attempting to antagonize police” to rack up views on his channels.
“Newark is not a playground for daredevil drivers seeking social media likes,” Newark Police Chief Emanuel Miranda said in a statement. “We will not tolerate senseless, reckless driving on Newark streets.”
Officials said they began investigating Ginestri after he was caught doing doughnuts around another police car on April 11, at 1:16 a.m.
The 19-year-old was allegedly driving in a black BMW with no license plates and outraced the pursuing officers, but the incident did lead officials to discover the “Squeeze.Benz” account.
The account features videos going back more than a year with titles such as, “Drifting through Times Square,” “NYPD Tried It,” and “4 Minutes of Squeeze Taking Over The FDR.”
Newark Police were working with the NYPD Auto Crimes Manhattan Unit on the case, with Ginestri located last Thursday after allegedly punching a 20-year-old man inside the Steinway Deli in Astoria, according to the NYPD.
Along with the reckless driving charges, Ginestri is facing charges of employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime, theft and conspiracy in Fairfield, police said.
The Queens District Attorney’s office said Ginestri had previously pleaded guilty to being in possession of a stolen motorcycle in March, when he was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.
An attorney for Ginestri could not be immediately reached for comment.
