Teen Caught Speeding at 191 MPH, a 'Football Field Per Second,' in Dad's Mercedes-Benz: Police


A teenager in Ontario was charged with dangerous driving after he was caught speeding down a highway in his father's car, going three times the speed limit, according to local police.

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a Periscope video that authorities pulled the driver over on Sunday shortly after he was spotted going 308 km/h (191.3 mph) in his father's Mercedes-Benz with a 19-year-old passenger inside.

The driver — who was later identified by the OPP Highway Safety Division as 18-year-old Noah Lauricella — has since been charged with dangerous driving and street racing/stunt driving. PEOPLE was not able to reach Lauricella for comment.

The teen also received a seven-day license suspension and vehicle impoundment, according to a tweet from the OPP Highway Safety Divison.

"It blew me away. I had never heard of a speed that fast," Schmidt explained in the video, noting that traveling 308 km/hr is nearly the equivalent of "covering a football field in one second," or 280 feet per second.

"This could've turned into the most devastating, fatal crash ever," he added. "This vehicle would've been completely destroyed."

The officer who pulled over Lauricella snapped a photo of the radar gun, showing just how fast the teen was allegedly traveling at the time of the incident. That image was shared on the OPP Highway Safety Division's Twitter page, along with a photo of his dad's Mercedes-Benz being towed away.

Though other drivers were on the road, Schmidt confirmed in the video that no one was hurt, but acknowledged how things could've played out very differently.

"If you're going at those kinds of speeds, you have to understand the risk that you're putting yourself, your passenger who you have with you, along with all the other drivers, occupants, and road users on the highways that you're blowing the doors off of," he said. "This is not a race track."

According to Schmidt, Lauricella was released at the scene, but "will have a day in court." If convicted, he faces penalties that include a $10,000 fine, six months in prison and a loss of his driver's license for two years.

"This is ridiculous, this is unbelievable, this is irresponsible," Schmidt said. "And I certainly hope this person will not be in any position to drive a vehicle for a very long time."

The speeding incident comes as Ontario officials look to crack down on "high-risk behavior" and "reduce the number of people who are dying" during Highway Safety Week, according to Schmidt.

Lauricella was among the 150 drivers who have been charged with street racing or stunt racing since May 1, according to the Ontario Highway Safety Division. Like Lauricella, those drivers also had their vehicles impounded for seven days.

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