A gender reveal party went horribly wrong for a couple in Australia. Drone video footage released by Queensland Police shows the baby’s father doing a burnout with his car, tossing out blue smoke, while skidding down a road in front of cheering friends and family. The video also captured the moment things took a turn for the worse, as the car caught fire. The driver escaped unharmed but police later charged him with dangerous driving and made the video public as a warning to others.
According to 9News Australia, the incident happened on a rural road in the Gold Coast region of the country in April 2018. The car was fitted with special smoking tires, police say. The driver’s antics were recorded on video by a drone on a road in Norwell, near Surfers Paradise, police said. After the fire, the drone was seized by police, who decided to release the video after the case was closed.
Gender reveal celebrations have become more popular both in Australia and in the United States in recent years, with the basic idea of using a blue or pink cake to reveal the gender of a soon-to-be-born child leading to more extreme events, sometimes leading to disastrous results.
“On several occasions over the past year, gender reveal ‘burnouts’ – in which cars emit billowing clouds of pink or blue smoke – have resulted in flaming vehicles and arrests,” CNN International reports.
The driver of the car and his family could not be reached for comment by Heavy. It is not the first time that a fiery burnout gender reveal has gone viral in Australia. In October 2018, police issued a warning about the dangers of the growing trend and said that those involved could be arrested, fined and possibly have their vehicles seized.
“It’s shocking, a car in this situation in a small street. The risks to other residents and other road users is certainly significant,” NSW Police Inspector Phillip Brooks told 9News. “Someone in this situation faces not only jail time but losing their car and losing their license.”
You can watch the video of the April 2018 incident below:
The 29-Year-Old Driver Was Found Guilty of Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle & Was Fined $1,000 Along With a 6-Month Driving Ban
In the April 2018 incident, the 29-year-old driver of the black Holden Commodore, identified by Queensland Police as Samuel Montesalvo, was charged with and convicted of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. Montesalvo was fined $1,000 and was issued a driving ban for six months.
“This is reckless, dangerous behavior. What goes through the mind of this stupid person who’s willing to be out there putting other people’s lives at risk?” NSW Police Inspector Phillip Brooks told 9 News. “People that are doing these sorts of things at events, social events, are putting themselves and those that are watching these stupid acts at great risk on our roads.”
A US Border Patrol Agent Was Ordered to Pay $8 Million in Restitution After a Gender Reveal Started a Wildfire in That Burned More Than 45,000 Acres
The trend of fiery gender reveals isn’t limited to Australia. In 2018, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent, Dennis Dickey, pleaded guilty to federal charges and was ordered to pay $8 million in restitution after he started a massive wildfire in Arizona with a gender reveal.
Dickey shot an exploding target, sending blue powder into the sky. But the explosion also caused the dry grass that the target was set up into catch fire. The blaze quickly spread and eventually burned more than 45,000 acres in what became known as the Sawmill Fire.