By The newspaper
19 Jul 2024, 09:29 AM EDT
Antonio Ginestri, a 19-year-old known for posting videos on YouTube of himself speeding around New York City, has been charged in connection with a series of robberies in New Jersey, months after being arrested for an assault in Queens.
Ginestri, also known online as “Squeeze.benz” by his followers on Instagram and YouTube, was charged Tuesday with multiple robberies that occurred in February, police said. He faces charges including robbery and conspiracy, police said. NBC News. A 16-year-old teenager was arrested and charged along with him.
Fairfield, NJ, police said officers responded to a robbery at a Speedway gas station on Route 46 East in the early morning hours of Feb. 6. Security footage showed a gray pickup truck fleeing with three people inside.
The gray car, which turned out to be a BMW X7 with stolen New Jersey license plates, was allegedly used in similar robberies in Roseland, Secaucus and Hasbrouck Heights, and the same people inside were wanted in connection with those incidents. The suspects and the vehicle were also sought by police in connection with other crimes in New York and Connecticut.
“Ginestri is a well-known influencer “The social media channel goes by the handle ‘Squeeze.Benz,’” said Stacy Chiarolanza, public information officer for Fairfield Police. “The basis of his channel is filming himself driving high-end cars recklessly to attract a police response while wearing a full-face helmet to conceal his identity. We are grateful to all of the agencies that helped put this case together to make an arrest.”
He was initially arrested on May 16, when he was charged with assault for a Feb. 10 incident inside the Steinway Deli in Queens, where he allegedly punched someone in the head. He had also posted videos taunting police in New Jersey, with one showing him driving circles around a police vehicle in Newark, the state’s most populous city.
All charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Authorities remind that there is zero tolerance for drivers who drive at excessive speed and/or under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Cyclists and motorcyclists are also frequent protagonists of road accidents, as victims and perpetrators, by riding on sidewalks, disregarding traffic lights and even the direction of the streets.