Skip to main content

Imagine you’re a Florida sheriff’s deputy and you get a call about a carjacking at a Holiday Inn Express. A Florida man just stole a van after fighting the driver, and now he’s on the run. Before you can even put out an APB, another call comes in—some lunatic just crashed a van straight into Smash Fitness. No prizes for guessing who’s behind the wheel.

That’s how Adam Naylor, 42, turned a quick carjacking into a full-blown police chase. He swiped a van, immediately lost control, and rammed it into a gym. Then, instead of sticking around to explain himself, he took off running. If he hadn’t made one crucial mistake, he might have even gotten away. He forgot about K-9 Dundee.

Florida man’s getaway plan dumber than his van-theft crime

I suppose overpowering a driver to steal their van works up to a point. That’s Carjacking 101. You have a problem when they report it missing, but Naylor doesn’t seem like the plan-ahead type. Even so, maybe make sure you can drive it before you take off. Because crashing the stolen van into a fitness center before even making it out of town? That’s a next-level screw-up.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, after his spectacular failure at stunt driving, Naylor fled on foot. Deputies arrived at the gym to find the front of the building caved in, gym equipment scattered, and witnesses pointing in the direction of the suspect’s escape.

Cue K-9 Dundee. Bodycam footage shows the determined police dog tearing through the parking lot, leading deputies straight to a clump of bushes. And there, lying in the dirt like a raccoon caught in a trash can, was Naylor.

The K-9 unit doesn’t miss

Police booked Naylor on charges of robbery (carjacking without a firearm), DUI, and leaving the scene of a crash. Sheriff Carmine Marceno had little sympathy for the man who turned a stolen van into a demolition derby. “I thank God no one was injured in this man’s reckless crime spree,” Marceno said. “I am beyond proud of the K-9 Unit, which quickly tracked and located the suspect, taking him to the Lee County Jail where he belongs.”

This wasn’t Naylor’s first run-in with the law. Records show he was arrested for disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer in 2007. For his part, K-9 Dundee gets a well-earned treat. And Naylor? He gets to trade his van for the back seat of a patrol car.

Related

Never Worry About Charging Your EV Again With This Camper

Best in News
Avatar photo
Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari is a MotorBiscuit Staff Writer who brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Henry covers Ford models daily, including the F-150. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. He’s an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts. Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont.