5 craziest 'Florida man' crime stories of 2025 that sound fake — but aren't



The notorious "Florida man" didn’t just live up to his reputation in 2025 — he shattered it.

The Sunshine State became a rolling highlight reel of off-the-rails antics, including a meth-fueled birthday joyride on a stolen train and a crazy police bodycam video capturing the arrest of a costumed suspect as stunned families watched in disbelief at a Chuck E. Cheese.

'Would y’all put Mickey Mouse in handcuffs?'

So we hereby present the top five wildest incidents of the year involving the infamous "Florida man."

1. Key West chaos: Man with meth pipe hijacks tourist train on birthday, police say

As Blaze News reported in July, a 57-year-old Florida man allegedly celebrated his birthday with a meth-fueled joyride by hijacking a tourist train in Key West.

Citing the arrest report, WPLG-TV said Jonathan Patrick Winslow stole the Conch Tour Train and even managed to pick up "two random passengers" while driving the trolley.

When confronted by cops, Winslow had a meth pipe in his possession — and he told deputies that it was a "weed pipe," according to the police report.

Police said Winslow told officers he previously worked at the Conch Tour Train Depot, that he merely "borrowed" the train — and that "today is his birthday."

Despite it being his birthday, Winslow was arrested and hit with burglary, grand theft auto, and drug charges.

2. Kids watch in shock as man in a mouse costume is arrested at Chuck E. Cheese

What was supposed to be a fun, innocent time for children devolved into a bizarre arrest caught on police bodycam footage that captured officers arresting a Chuck E. Cheese mascot — with kids and parents watching.

Blaze News reported in September that 41-year-old Jermel Jones was accused of allegedly purchasing items with someone else's credit card.

"We’re gonna detain the mouse," a police officer is heard telling a fellow cop on bodycam footage as they enter the pizza restaurant in Tallahassee.

An officer about to confront the man in the mouse costume is heard telling a woman, "Chuck E.’s a little bit busy, ma’am."

A police officer orders the man in the costume, "Chuck E., come with me. Chuck E! Chuck E! Stop resisting! You’re being detained! Stop resisting! Let it go! Do not cause a scene here, sir."

The Chuck E. Cheese mascot is handcuffed and then escorted out of the children's restaurant as parents and kids watch in stunned disbelief.

A woman is heard yelling at the officers, "I would like y’all to walk him out the door instead of traumatizing all these children seeing someone like Chuck E. Cheese get arrested."

She then asks, "Would y’all put Mickey Mouse in handcuffs?"

Jones was arrested and charged with theft of a credit card, criminal use of personal identification information, and fraudulent use of a credit card totaling over $100.

3. Florida man offers cops alcoholic drink during car chase — then gets tased

Only in Florida does a police pursuit include a suspect casually offering officers an alcoholic drink mid-chase.

In April, police were called to a local market after a report of a theft of alcoholic beverages, according to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.

Blaze News reported that 39-year-old Richard Christopher Smith of Miami was driving a black minivan in circles near the market, after which a miles-long police chase ensued.

The sheriff's office said Smith was holding a can of Ketel One vodka spritz out the window of the minivan as he drove by a deputy attempting to pull him over. Smith is heard in the bodycam video telling the officer, "I was just going to give you a drink, that’s it."

The sheriff's office said in a statement, "We don’t know if he was expecting us to just say 'Cheers!' and let him go, or what."

Officials added, "After his toast, Smith attempted to ram two patrol vehicles in the midst of getting all four tires flattened by spike strips."

The minivan slowed down, and the crazy police pursuit ended several miles away in the parking lot of a business at the Sebring Airport. Bodycam video shows Smith exiting the minivan and being greeted by cops with their guns drawn and ordering the suspect to get on the ground.

However, the suspect is seen not obeying orders and walking toward a deputy — and Smith gets tased and falls headfirst on the pavement.

According to the bodycam video, Smith asks officers why he's being arrested, to which the deputy replies, "A lot of stupid s**t, right now."

Smith is heard saying to the officers in the bodycam footage, "You guys had fun, though, right?"

Jail records show that Smith was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, driving under the influence, refusal to submit to a DUI test, and petty theft.

4. Here's how an alligator sent Florida folks flying

Florida motorcyclists were sent flying over their handlebars after slamming into a large alligator on a highway.

Blaze News reported in June that two motorcyclists collided with a six-foot alligator on Interstate 4 in Orange City. The impact of hitting the alligator crossing the highway sent both riders soaring into the air.

Motorcyclist Cameron Gilmore told WESH-TV, "I saw it, like, 10 feet in front of me, and I just, you know, I thought — I knew I was going to hit it. It kind of just happened so quick."

Gilmore added, "I didn't even have a second to do anything. Couldn't put on the brakes or not. And I just had to hold on."

Gilmore said the collision caused him to "start flying for a long way."

The two bikers were rushed to the HCA Lake Monroe Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

5. Sex offender gets rejected at job interview — reacts by flinging bottles of urine

A Florida man reportedly turned a denied job interview into a criminal spectacle and threw bottles of urine at a store.

As Blaze News reported in April, 51-year-old John Connaughton asked for a job interview at a door store in St. Petersburg.

Connaughton was rejected, after which he lashed out by hurling multiple bottles filled with urine at the front of the store, according to an arrest affidavit. Urine splattered on building materials and splashed at least one employee, court documents say.

The affidavit accused Connaughton of causing more than $1,000 in damage "to various building materials" by "splattering [them] with urine."

Image source: Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement

Connaughton reportedly fled, but two men chased after him. Connaughton — a registered sex offender — raised his skateboard over his head as if he were going to hit one of the men with it, according to the arrest affidavit.

The St. Petersburg Police Department arrested Connaughton, and he was charged with felony battery, criminal mischief, and two counts of aggravated assault, according to court records.

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Kids were 'playing' at a luxury resort pool. It all ended with Florida woman arrested, charged with aggravated child abuse.



A Florida woman found herself in handcuffs in what was supposed to be a fun family vacation at a luxury resort after she became physical with a 6-year-old boy at a pool, according to police.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that deputies responded to a report of a battery involving a child around 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Gaylord Palms Hotel — a four-star resort in Kissimmee.

"Witnesses reported that three children were playing in the pool when the splashing became aggressive," the statement reads.

Police said 36-year-old Tiffany Lee Griffith of Fort Myers "entered the pool and yelled at a 6-year-old boy after he allegedly dunked her 6-year-old son underwater."

The sheriff's office claimed Griffith "placed her hands on the victim's shoulders and forcibly dunked him underwater for several seconds."

The alleged victim rushed out of the resort pool "visibly upset and suffering from a nosebleed." The child reported the alleged incident to his parents, according to police.

Griffith then began yelling at the mother of the alleged victim before leaving the area, police said. Deputies located and arrested Griffith.

RELATED: Florida woman couldn't take her dog on flight — so she drowned animal in airport bathroom: Police

The Osceola News-Gazette obtained the police report which stated, "After Tiffany was placed under arrest, she made spontaneous statements expressing remorse for what had occurred."

The police report added, "It should also be noted that alcohol was believed to be a possible factor in this incident, according to hotel security."

During her arrest, Griffith allegedly "understood and agreed to her [Miranda] rights. ... She further stated she could recite them due to being a former law enforcement officer."

Griffith was taken to the Osceola County Jail, and she was charged with aggravated child abuse.

According to the affidavit obtained by People magazine, Griffith told investigators she entered the pool to protect her child; she claimed he's nonverbal and has autism.

"I was protecting my son," Griffith told deputies, according to the affidavit.

Griffith told police she feared her son would be "drowned" by the other child, the affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, investigators said they reviewed security footage at the resort, and it matched a witness' account of the incident.

During Griffith's first court appearance Monday, a judge found probable cause and ordered her held without bond, according to WINK-TV. The judge also ordered Griffith to have no contact with the child or the child's family.

The Gaylord Palms Hotel did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

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Florida man armed to the teeth issues 'dirty bomb' warning after he crashes car, triggering lockdown



Police responded to a car crash at a grocery store late last week only to encounter a Florida man armed to the teeth, who warned he had a "dirty bomb," according to authorities. The alarming dirty bomb remark triggered a lockdown of the area, police said.

Late Friday night, officers with the Haines City Police Department responded to reports of a vehicle crash at a Publix grocery store in Davenport.

'Officers located a yellow plastic container secured with chains and locks with a radioactive warning label and immediately repositioned to a safe distance, shut down roadways, and requested assistance from the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives.'

Police said officers made contact with 43-year-old Benjamin Donald Johnson — a driver allegedly involved in the car accident.

Police said in a statement, "Officers were ultimately required to physically remove Johnson from the truck, at which point multiple firearms were observed in plain view."

Police said while the suspect was being detained in the back of a patrol vehicle, an officer heard Johnson saying that there was a "dirty bomb” in his Chevrolet Silverado truck.

Police stated, "Officers located a yellow plastic container secured with chains and locks with a radioactive warning label and immediately repositioned to a safe distance, shut down roadways, and requested assistance from the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives."

Police imposed a lockdown of the area near the vehicle in question for several hours "out of an abundance of caution" and to "ensure the safety" of anyone nearby.

RELATED: Florida man with meth pipe steals tourist train, picks up passengers for wild ride — and announces it's his 'birthday': Cops

Before the bomb squad arrived, a Florida State Fire Investigator at the crime scene confirmed the container was "emitting positive radioactivity," according to police.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and an FBI bomb technician launched an investigation into the possible dirty bomb.

According to police, investigators said a device was inside the yellow container. The investigators allegedly determined it was a moisture density gauge, which is "commonly used for soil testing, and contained less radioactivity than a medical X-ray."

The statement said the container was transported to the Haines City Police Department, where it will be "further inspected" by members of the Florida Bureau of Radioactive Material.

Officers conducted a search of Johnson's truck, and police said they found a "multitude of firearms and ammunition, firearm magazine speed loaders, thermal scopes, knives, a battering ram, night vision goggles, cannabis, and gummies, which tested positive for THC."

Johnson told investigators he was in the area for work and had been living out of his pickup truck with his dog, police said.

The dog was transferred to a local animal control service.

Jail records from the Polk County Sheriff's Office show that Johnson was arrested and charged with hoax weapon of mass destruction, false report concerning a bomb or explosive, resisting an officer without violence, unlawful possession of cannabis resin, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and use of a firearm under the influence of alcohol.

Police noted that Johnson's prior criminal history revealed he had been arrested for possession of marijuana in Tennessee.

Police said the case remains under investigation.

The Haines City Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

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The Simple Rules to Fight Crime Blue Cities Choose to Ignore | Jay Collins

Florida man with meth pipe steals tourist train, picks up passengers for wild ride — and announces it's his 'birthday': Cops



A Florida man celebrated his birthday on July 4 by stealing a tourist train in Key West, picking up passengers, and having a meth pipe in his possession, according to police.

Citing the arrest report, WPLG-TV said police received a call just before 11:30 a.m. Friday that a man had stolen the Conch Tour Train.

The arrest report states Winslow picked up 'two random passengers' while driving the trolley.

Police officers responded to the Conch Tour Train Depot, where they were informed that one of the trackless trolley trains had been hijacked.

According to the arrest report, police said Jonathan Patrick Winslow of Big Torch Key — who indeed was celebrating his 57th birthday — left his Kia vehicle in the train depot's parking lot while it was still running "with rock music playing on the radio."

A train depot employee told police that Winslow claimed to have worked at the tourism business years ago and wanted to take a tour of the train, WPLG said, citing the arrest report.

However, the worker reportedly told officers that Winslow got into the trolley and drove away.

The employee was "confused" but allegedly told investigators that perhaps Winslow had received permission to drive the train. As you might imagine, that wasn't the case.

Tour company employees reportedly told police that GPS could track the train — and it turns out that it was on the move in downtown Key West.

The arrest report states Winslow picked up "two random passengers" while driving the trolley.

Police said officers were able to track down the stolen Conch Tour Train at the massively popular Southernmost Point Buoy tourist attraction and stop it before anything tragic occurred during the wild ride.

RELATED: Cheap hot dog sparks deadly dispute at nudist resort that ends in grisly deaths of elderly couple and dog: Police

The arrest report states that Winslow "exhibited rapid speech and appeared excited" while officers informed him that he would be arrested.

Police allegedly claimed Winslow told them that he merely "borrowed" the train. WPLG reported that Winslow told officers that he previously worked at the Conch Tour Train Depot; police said he stressed that "today is his birthday."

Winslow was arrested and transported to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Key West jail facility.

Authorities said a methamphetamine pipe was discovered in Winslow's pocket when a corrections deputy searched him at the jail, according to the arrest report.

Winslow allegedly asserted, "It's a weed pipe." However, investigators disagreed.

Winslow was charged with burglary, grand theft auto, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jail records show Winslow was being detained on a $60,000 bond.

RELATED: Man once tried to outrun police on a mule — now he's in jail for allegedly weaponizing a raccoon

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DeSantis: 'You could do a complete upheaval of the deep state'



There’s no question that the second Ron DeSantis stepped into office as the governor of Florida, the sunny state was changed for the better.

Whether it was standing up to incessant political pressure during COVID, getting woke ideology as far away from schools as possible, or even stripping Disney of its self-governing status, DeSantis has proven to be the governor that Florida needed to get things done.

Glenn Beck sat down with the beloved governor to find out just how he does it (and how he might do the same on the federal level).

DeSantis says he was told not to “make waves,” so rather than listen to that advice, that’s exactly what he did. You don’t turn Florida into the leading red state in America without ruffling a few feathers.

When COVID hit, DeSantis knew he didn’t want to turn into a tyrannical dictator and control the public’s every movement. He says, “They didn’t elect some health bureaucrat to run Florida. This Fauci-ism is not right, it’s not working, and there’s a better path.”

And man, was he right.

Not only did DeSantis not “let Florida collapse under the weight of Fauci-ism,” Florida thrived under it. While all the blue states up north began to see their populations decrease, Florida saw the opposite and became the fastest-growing state in the country as of 2022.

Glenn asks DeSantis if he could do what he did in Florida in the entire country — hypothetically, if he were to run for president.

DeSantis responds, “If you talk about at the federal level, there are certain things that may be easier, actually, to do. With the vast administrative state, if you have a determined executive who knows how to use those levers of power, you could do a complete upheaval of the deep state.”

If you’re asking us, a complete upheaval of the deep state sounds like a pretty good plan and a good campaign to run on.

But until we find out what DeSantis’ plan for the future is, you can pick up a copy of his new book, "The Courage to Be Free," and find out a little more about his past.


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Florida snipers provide cover for rescue divers searching for mother and son in alligator-filled pond



Florida snipers provided cover for rescue divers who jumped into an alligator-infested pond to search for a missing mother and son.

80-year-old Nieves Matos and her 56-year-old son Mario Laza were traveling along the Florida Turnpike in West Miami-Dade this past Friday when they lost control of their vehicle and careened into a detention pond just off the highway.

WSVN, a regional Florida news outlet, reported that the accident occurred just before noon and is likely the result of the driver losing control while attempting to negotiate the right curve on an exit ramp.

Good Samaritans who witnessed the accident jumped into the water to search for survivors of the accident.

Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Alex Camacho said, “The vehicle lost control, overturned, driving off of the roadway into the pond. Dive teams from fire rescue and Miami-Dade Police did their search and rescue, and were able to rescue an adult female and adult male inside of the vehicle at the time.”

Police snipers arrive on the scene shortly after the accident to provide protection for rescue divers and other first responders as they searched the alligator-filled pond for survivors of the crash.

Footage from this past Friday’s event shows snipers lying on their stomachs with their rifles pointed at the waters as alligators swim around the pond.

Ms. Matos was eventually located and pulled from the water.

WESH-2, an Orlando-based NBC affiliate, reported that Laza, the 56-year-old son, passed away after a brief treatment period in the ICU.

People close to the mother and son’s family created a GoFundMe page to help cover the pair’s medical bills and the son’s funeral expenses.

This past week, it was reported that the victims of the condominium collapse that happened in Surfside, Florida, in 2021 drew closer to the end of their class-action lawsuit, as they reached a settlement totaling $1,021,199,000.

The settlement agreement was submitted to Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman, who gave his preliminary approval to the settlement on Saturday at a court hearing that followed around-the-clock negations.

The more than $1 billion settlement was reached less than a month before the one-year anniversary of the tragic building collapse that claimed the lives of more than 90 people.

The Surfside condo collapse victims received preliminary approval for a settlement of over $1 billion



A settlement of more than $1 billion for the victims of the tragic 2021 condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida has been reached.

The Miami Herald reported that this past Friday that a team of lawyers representing family members of the dozens of people who died in the Champlain Towers South tragedy reached a settlement totaling $1,021,199,000.

The settlement agreement was submitted to Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman who gave his preliminary approval on Saturday at a court hearing that followed around-the-clock negotiations about a potential settlement.

The settlement was reached less than a month before the one-year anniversary of the tragedy.

“It’s a great result,” Hanzman said on Saturday. “This agreement appears to be a very reasonable compromise of the claims.”

The over one-billion-dollar agreement comes as a class-action settlement and as the defendants agreed to pay to resolve wrongful-death and personal-injury claims by the victims’ relatives. The defendants made no admission of wrongdoing and most of the payments to the plaintiffs are being covered through insurance coverage.

In the class-action plaintiff’s lawyers' 213-page settlement filing they wrote, “As this Court has noted, the collapse of the Champlain Towers South on June 24, 2021, in Surfside was a ‘black swan' event that devastated the community. The death and destruction caused by the collapse resulted in incalculable damage to so many individuals.”

The lawyers continued, “Remarkably, after months of rigorous, arm’s-length negotiations … more than two dozen potentially liable parties have agreed to an unprecedented settlement for an unprecedented event.”

Hanzman is expected to give final approval of the class-action settlement later this summer after a comment period and “fairness hearing” on June 23. Hanzman also plans to participate in a series of claims hearing in which relatives and representatives of victims who died or were injured in Champlain South’s collapse will be able to make a case for what their lives were worth. This process is expected to be arduous and emotional.

The class-action team’s co-chairs released a statement that said, “We are pleased to have finalized the settlments we reached with more than two dozen parties and their insurers.”

The statement continued, “We are grateful to Judge Hanzman, who fast-tracked this case to get it resolved in record time. We also recognize the efforts of the receiver Michael Goldberg and the mediator Bruce Greer and all of the members of the plaintiffs steering committee who worked tirelessly on this matter.”

A church in Florida held an LGBTQ+ conference for children 12 to 18



A church in Naples, Florida hosted an LGBTQ+ conference for children and young adults aged 12 to 18.

The event was held at the Naples United Church of Christ and was put on by the Collier County chapter of GLSEN. GLSEN is a national nonprofit organization that, according to its website, “was founded by a group of teachers in 1990” so that educators could “play key roles in creating affirming learning environments for LGBTQ youth.”

The organization focuses on “activating supportive educators” and conducts “extensive and original research to inform our evidence-based solutions for K-12 education.” According to its website, the group will “advise on, advocate for, and research comprehensive policies designed to protect LGBTQ students as well as students of marginalized identities.”

The conference’s Eventbrite page proclaimed that the event was a “one-day conference” that “will provide students with the opportunity to engage in LGBTQ-related issues facing them today while empowering them to be confident in all their identities.”

The church’s conference held a series of seminars featuring topics like “Forbidden Queer Literature,” “Political Action & Advocacy,” and “Inclusive Sex Education.”

GLSEN also hosted a “drag show from some of our local drag queens” and a panel discussion “with former high school students talking about life in the LGBTQ community after high school.”

The Post Millennial reported that there was some local concern about the event, especially since it appeared that many children attending the conference would be bused in directly from school without their parent’s knowledge.

According to a spokesperson for the local school district, Collier County Public Schools (CCPS), the school’s facilities may not be used as “transit points for the pickup and drop-off of students for this event.”

Florida’s Voice reported that the conference’s young attendees were asked to enter their pronouns and provide other personal information prior to registering for the event.

The spokesperson said, “The District was never informed nor contacted about this event. CCPS is not a sponsor of the event, which is being held at a private facility. CCPS also neither authorized nor approved the transportation of CCPS students to and from district school sites by the event organizers. Any inference to the contrary is fully rejected by CCPS.”

The spokesperson continued, “To this end, CCPS has spoken with the event organizer and explained that the information on the registration form, and any associated flyer must be immediately corrected to reflect that CCPS is not a co-sponsor nor will it allow its school sites to be used as transit points for the pickup and drop-off of students for this event.”

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