A California driver who had just taken home a new Ford Mustang GT was in handcuffs less than an hour later, accused of blasting down the highway at 139 mph and having the car impounded on the spot. The incident, which unfolded near Modesto, has become a vivid example of how quickly excitement over a powerful new car can turn into a criminal case and a cautionary tale about speed and responsibility.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the driver was clocked at nearly double the posted limit, racing past a specially marked patrol vehicle before officers moved in to stop the car. What might have been a celebratory first drive instead ended with a tow truck, a stack of citations, and a story that has ricocheted across car forums and social media.
From showroom thrill to roadside arrest
The core facts are stark. A man bought a new Mustang GT, left the dealership, and within roughly 60 minutes was allegedly pushing the car to 139 mph on a California highway. Officers say the driver accelerated hard, passed traffic aggressively, and triggered a pursuit that ended only when the car was boxed in and pulled over. Reporting on the case notes that the vehicle was a red Ford Mustang GT, a V8 performance model that can surge from a calm cruise to triple-digit speeds in seconds when the throttle is pinned.
Investigators say the driver had owned the car for about an hour when the speed run took place, a detail that has fueled both disbelief and frustration among law enforcement. Accounts of the stop describe how, after the car blew past a specially marked California Highway Patrol unit, the officer initiated a stop and eventually had the Mustang loaded onto a flatbed with the driver under Arrest on suspicion of Speeding and reckless driving. Coverage of the case has emphasized that the vehicle was impounded almost immediately, a direct response to what authorities describe as dangerous behavior on a busy roadway.
How the California Highway Patrol says it unfolded
According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident began when a Mustang roared past a CHP vehicle at what the officer immediately recognized as an extreme speed. The patrol unit, which was specially marked and operating in traffic enforcement mode, accelerated to catch up and used radar to confirm that the car was traveling at 139 mph. At that speed, officers later noted, even a slight mistake or unexpected lane change from another driver could have produced a catastrophic crash…