A popular YouTuber known for filming reckless driving and speeding videos in New York City has been charged in connection with a string of burglaries in New Jersey.
Antonio Ginestri, who goes by “Squeeze.benz” online, was arrested Tuesday in Fairfield, N.Y. alongside a 16-year-old accomplice, NJ.com reported. They’re accused of burglarizing a Speedway gas station on Route 46 East early the morning on Feb. 6 in addition to a series of crimes across multiple states.
Surveillance video from the gas station shows a gray SUV with three people inside, racing away from the scene. Authorities later located the vehicle, a BMW X7 with stolen New Jersey registration, and linked it to similar burglaries in Roseland, Secaucus and Hasbrouck Heights. Authorities in New York and Connecticut had also been seeking the BMW in connection with other burglaries and crimes.
Ginersti has been charged with burglary, theft and two counts of conspiracy as well as a count of employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime. His suspected accomplice, who was not identified due to his age, was charged with burglary, theft and two counts of conspiracy.
Police did not name the third suspect seen in the surveillance video. It’s also unclear whether he has been arrested.
Ginestri, who has more than a million followers between his YouTube and Instagram pages, has become popular for sharing videos that see him weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds in luxury vehicles and motorcycles.
“The basis of his channel is to film himself driving high-end cars in a reckless manner to entice a police response while wearing a full-face helmet to hide his identity,” Fairfield Police Public Information Officer Stacy Chiarolanza told NBC 10. “We thank all of the agencies who assisted in putting this case together in order to make an arrest.”
