Lamborghini/Helicopter Firework Stunt YouTuber Faces Up To 10 Years In Prison

Alex Choi is being charged with ‘causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft’

07 Jun 2024

A still from a TikTok showing the stunt in question

If you’re going to film a YouTube video involving a Lamborghini Huracan, a low-flying helicopter, and a series of powerful fireworks, it’s probably worth making sure you’ve got all the necessary permissions first. YouTuber Alex Choi has found this out the hard way, as he now potentially faces a decade in prison over a video entitled ‘Destroying a Lamborghini With Fireworks’.

The Los Angeles-based content creator, whose real name is Suk Min Choi, uploaded the now-deleted video last July. In it, he drove the modified Huracan around a dry lake bed while being pursued by a low-flying helicopter, from which two women launched fireworks at him. It’s not clear how much damage, if any, the Lambo sustained during the incident.

According to NBC News, Choi has been arrested on one charge of ‘causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.’ Yep, no surprise that that’s actually illegal. Furthermore, it’s alleged that Choi didn’t have approval from the USA’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to film the video, nor did he have an explosives licence or permit.

Despite shooting the video in California, it’s also noted that Choi travelled to the neighbouring state of Nevada to acquire the fireworks, as their sale is illegal in California.

It seems the video’s been under scrutiny for a while, with the FAA first noting that it was under investigation last December. The helicopter apparently had its transponder switched off during the film shoot, preventing it from having its position tracked, and its pilot was stripped of his licence in January.

According to NBC, Choi was released on a $50,000 bail following his arrest and will appear in court in July. It remains to be seen if he’ll have to do serious time, but regardless, he’ll likely think twice about getting the right permits next time he tries to do something like this.

It’s not the first time a YouTuber has landed in hot water in the past year for trying something silly with an aircraft. Last year, YouTuber Trevor Jacob was jailed for six months after bailing out of a small plane and allowing it to crash deliberately into a remote part of California.

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