Florida authorities encountered a surreal scene this week when a man accused of stealing a BMW insisted he had been “teleported” into the vehicle by fictional mutants.
His wild claims, captured on police bodycam footage, set the tone for what investigators described as one of the most unusual arrests in recent memory.
Calvin Johnson, 36, was taken into custody Monday afternoon after officers said he climbed into an unlocked BMW at Bicentennial Park in Ormond Beach before speeding away and destroying it minutes later.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the luxury sedan was left with massive front‑end damage after Johnson allegedly tore down a nearby highway at 130 mph and eventually plowed into trees and brush.
The owner of the gray 2018 BMW had reportedly been walking his dog and returned to find the vehicle missing. He told police he had left the keys inside the cupholder.
When deputies arrived at the crash, bodycam video showed a dazed, blood‑covered Johnson repeating a bizarre story — insisting he had not stolen the car but had been transported into it involuntarily.
“I don’t know how I get in the car,” Johnson told a deputy. “I don’t know, I teleported.”
Even as deputies attempted to place him in handcuffs, he rambled about being controlled by figures he referred to as the X‑Men, likely in reference to the Marvel superhero franchise.
“They told me, the X-Men, to do it,” he said in the footage. “I don’t do that stuff. Someone told me to get in there. Someone’s in my head. Thank you for saving me. I don’t know how I got in there. You saved me from the aliens.”
A witness told authorities that Johnson’s seatbelt probably prevented him from being killed in the crash.
The mangled vehicle sat half‑on the shoulder and half‑in the foliage, while bystanders rushed to extinguish flames from both the interior and the surrounding plants.
Deputies charged Johnson with grand theft of a motor vehicle and driving with a suspended license.
He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and is expected to be booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail once cleared.
Across the country, a separate incident involving a self‑driving taxi rattled a Los Angeles mother and highlighted safety issues with autonomous ride services.
A woman who ordered a Waymo driverless car for her daughter recorded a viral video showing a disoriented man curled up inside the trunk of the supposedly empty vehicle.
The daughter, stunned by the discovery, alerted her mother, who confronted the man while filming.
“Why the f–k are you in the trunk?!” the mother shouted.
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“This s–t won’t let me out,” the man said, pounding on the back of a seat.
When she demanded to know why he was there, the man replied, “They put me in here,” and later added, “The … the people. The people,” despite the car being driverless.
A second TikTok posted by the family showed police removing the man from the vehicle and taking him away.
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Waymo has not commented publicly on what the man was doing in the trunk or how he managed to get inside.
In a separate incident in Connecticut, a carjacking victim watched her vehicle disappear twice in the span of two weeks.
Police said the same Honda Civic that had already been stolen and recovered was taken again, and this time with the alleged thief was behind the wheel at a gas station.
Waterbury police reported that the first theft occurred on November 23, when a suspect followed the victim home, shoved her, grabbed her key fob and fled in her 2015 Honda Civic.
Though the car was located and returned, authorities were unable to recover the fob.
On December 3, officers said the Civic vanished again. Police tracked it down within an hour and arrested Aaron Rodriguez De Los Santos at a gas station where he had parked.
Investigators said narcotics were found in the vehicle, resulting in charges of motor‑vehicle larceny as well as two counts of possession of narcotics with intent to sell. Charges tied to the initial theft remain pending.
Meanwhile, in Washington, a late‑night carjacking took a violent turn when a would‑be victim opened fire on a group of masked individuals who allegedly attempted to steal his vehicle.
Police said officers responded around 3:30 a.m. on November 9 and found a suspect suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
The victim, a licensed firearm owner, was also detained for questioning while investigators processed the scene.
Firefighters provided medical aid to the wounded suspect, who was taken in serious condition to Harborview Medical Center. Officers said the man was placed under armed guard.
Authorities said the victim had parked his sports car along 1st Avenue when a white sedan with four masked individuals approached him.
After a brief exchange, two people armed with guns attempted to take his vehicle.
Fearing he was in danger, the victim fired several rounds, striking one of the assailants.
The other individuals fled before officers arrived, but during the investigation, police said the same white sedan returned to Harborview to drop off another wounded suspect.
That man, who also had gunshot injuries, was in serious condition and placed under guard as well.
One suspect is 14‑years‑old and the other is 20‑years‑old, according to KING‑TV. Police said both will be booked once they are medically cleared.
The victim, identified by local media as a 24‑year‑old man, was taken to Seattle Police headquarters for an interview and released afterward.
