← Back to browse

September 11, 2023 · Gainesville, Florida

Florida Man Steals Excavator, Goes for Joyride, Crashes into Walmart

83

/ 100

Florida Man score

Certified wild

A man hot-wires a construction excavator, plows it through several buildings, and finally crashes it into a Walmart loading dock.

Gainesville police said 47-year-old Jesse Charles Smith hot-wired an excavator from a worksite on Southwest 47th Street and went on a rampage, smashing into buildings at a nearby storage facility before driving the machine into the loading dock wall of a Walmart at Butler Plaza. He then climbed out of the cab and entered the store carrying a machete. The damage was estimated at more than $2 million. Smith, who admitted to being on drugs, was later sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation.

Score breakdown

Absurdity23/25
Humor19/25
Florida Factor14/20
Unexpectedness13/15
Headline Quality9/10
Source Quality5/5

Original source

FOX 35 Orlando ↗

More Florida Man stories