Man Gets Pulled Over for Speeding. Then He Blames It On a Cybertruck—and Gets Out of the Ticket

There’s nothing like a good scapegoat—whether it’s a sock gremlin in the washing machine to an invisible roommate who ate all the ice cream. Or, in the case of horseless carriages, a stainless steel vehicle held together by tape, glue, and the power of ego. That was the scapegoat in a story told by Ethan Levy (@ethanlevyy), who, reflecting on a recent interaction with a police officer, says in a TikTok, “I don’t know what the [expletive] made me say this,” before launching into a tale of driving too fast. 

Below an onscreen caption that reads, “major life hack,” Levy says, “I was speeding—guilty as charged—and I was going pretty fast. I get pulled over, fourth time in my life I’ve ever gotten pulled over.”

He says he’s never gotten a ticket or “anything like that, knock on wood.”

“So, the officer comes up to me. ‘Sir, do you know how fast you were going?’”

Levy says he’s not going to “sit here and lie.” So he responds, “Yeah, I was going like 12 over.” The truth? His speed was closer to 20 mph over the posted limit.

That’s a big speeding ticket to pay.

Getting Out of a Ticket: Panic Logic Kicks In

“Why were you going that fast?” the officer asks. “Like, is there somewhere you need to be? You know the speed limit is 50, right?”

At this point, the severity of the situation would be sinking in for most people.

“Yeah, yeah,” says Levy, acknowledging his lead foot. 

“Out of nowhere, I say, ‘You see that Cybertruck?’ (Because there’s one passing.) ‘Well, sir, I didn’t really feel comfortable around it. I was scared it was going to blow up.’”

The officer looks at the vehicle as it is “literally passing” and says, “Well, Mr. Levy, that’s actually a pretty valid reason. I could see that fear.”

Next the policeman makes a deal: “Here’s what we’re gonna do. Since you’ve never been issued a ticket, I’m gonna go back to the car, run your license, make sure everything’s good with the paperwork, your license, there’s no warrants, there’s no nothing. If everything comes back clean, you can be on your way. Just be careful.”

“Obviously, everything’s fine,” Levy says, concluding his tale of successfully getting out of a ticket.

Tesla Cybertrucks Are Gaining a Poor Reputation

With over 87,000 views, the TikTok sparked plenty of debate. Everything from bad sushi to semis gets blamed for speeding. But there’s an unmistakable focus on the Cybertruck.

“I admit to anyone and everyone I have an irrational hatred of Cybertrucks,” said Erin Monahan (@e.nic.m)

While another commenter, Juliann (@juliannballey), said that in her family, “Cybertrucks are the new ‘punch buggy’ … and when we see one, we scream in disgust. Lol.”

Gallery: Tesla Cybertruck

How Can You Get an Officer to Let You Off the Hook for Speeding?

So, did the officer believe Levy, or was he amused enough to let it slide? +

According to retired police officer Jason Hoschouer, it's often a combination of things that can move an officer from writing a ticket to issuing a warning. And, yes, humor is a part of it.

The four standards he followed were: 

• Attitude: a bad one, and the warning option never enters the equation. 
• Driving history: a clean one might get a pass.
• Honesty: the truth will set you free (sometimes).
• Responsibility: be accountable for your actions.

Hoschour recalled one time when a driver immediately took fault. “I was going too fast, Officer. I’m sorry. Figured I’d just pull over here. You got me fair and square,” they said. 

Hoschour laughed, and decided not to give them a ticket. 

So, although Levy captions his TikTok, “don’t tell them you got it from me,” in the end, it probably wasn’t the exploding Cybertruck that got Levy out of his ticket. It was likely a combination of timing, honesty, and wit that worked.

Motor1 reached out to Levy via email and TikTokdirect message. It reached out to Tesla via email. This story will be updated should either party respond.