A 20-year-old New Jersey man admits it was his helmet-mounted GoPro camera that captured a motorcycle ride in and out of traffic at speeds approaching 160 mph, but says he's remorseful.
Video from the ride shows what Anthony Darrigo saw on Pequannock and Riverdale roads back in December when Darrigo panicked after a cop turned on his blue lights.
"I don't know why I did it, just all in the heat of the moment," he told NBC 4 New York Wednesday. "I was just nervous."
Darrigo spoke from his parents' home in Wanaque, apologetic for what police call an extremely hazardous flight on highways and byways.
"Unbelievable, insane disregard for public safety is what pops into my mind," said Pequannock Police Capt. Christopher De Puyt.
Police said they had seen Darrigo do a wheelie, which is illegal, but dropped the chase when it became too dangerous. But it took four months to track him down, thanks in part to social media and the video, which a friend posted to YouTube, part of what police call a mocking subculture of motorcyclists against cops.
Darrigo said that was not his intent, and he will not give up riding.
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"I've been riding my entire life. I don't think I'll ever let go," he said, adding he now plans to drive "very carefully."
Darrigo currently has a broken leg from a spill on his bike a month ago. And police now have his Honda dirt bike, along with his helmet, camera, laptop and jacket -- a warning to others who might do this.
Darrigo may get probation instead of jail time, and he could lose his bike. But the biggest penalty may be his hopes for the future: becoming a state trooper.
