Driver claimed he was rushing to a Miami fire, but deputies say he was really a retired New York firefighter headed south for a fishing trip

A Florida traffic stop involving a speeding SUV with flashing red and blue lights quickly turned into a much larger investigation after deputies said the driver’s story about responding to a fire in Miami began falling apart almost immediately.

Retired police sergeant Christopher Curtis, host of the YouTube channel Sergeant Curtis, reviewed body and dash camera footage from the November 22, 2021 incident involving James J. Tedesco IV, a retired member of the New York City Fire Department.

According to the footage, an Indian River County sheriff’s deputy stopped Tedesco on Interstate 95 after seeing his personal Hyundai Santa Fe traveling at high speed with emergency-style lights activated. Tedesco initially claimed he was heading to Miami for a fire, but later acknowledged that he had been fishing and was traveling south for another fishing trip.

Deputy Questions the Red and Blue Lights

The deputy approached carefully and asked Tedesco to roll down the vehicle’s windows before requesting his driver’s license and registration…

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