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Wild video shows speedboat crash after flying through air at popular Arizona lake

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Wild video shows speedboat crash after flying through air at popular Arizona lake

Two speedboat racers are lucky to be alive after a terrifying crash at Lake Havasu in Arizona on Saturday in which their vessel went flipping and flying through the air before slamming back onto the surface of the water.

The frightening scene was captured on video as the speedboat was attempting to break a 206-mph speed record on the lake. It happened during an event called  Desert Storm Shugrue’s Shootout.

In the video, the white 10,000-horsepower boat was seen cruising at a high speed on the lake’s surface while being followed by a helicopter with a camera attached to the bottom.

The vessel appeared to be skipping like a stone when the front of it tilted just enough for the wind to pick it up, causing the boat to backflip completely.

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A speedboat crashed after going airborne at Lake Havasu in Arizona, as the operator made a record-breaking attempt at 200 mph. (Credit: Speedboat Magazine)

But the wild ride did not end there. In fact, the boat remained in the air and turned nearly 360 degrees horizontally before the front corner caught the water as it began to flip vertically once more.

Spectators could be heard on the original video swearing in disbelief at what they had just seen.

FOX 10 in Phoenix reported that both racers on board, who are with Freedom One Racing and go by the aliases John Wayne and Clint Eastwood to hide their identities, walked away from the crash.

The station spoke with Ray Lee of Speedboat Magazine, who said the racing team was hoping to make history over the weekend.

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A speedboat crashed after going airborne at Lake Havasu in Arizona, as the operator made a record-breaking attempt at 200 mph. (Credit: Speedboat Magazine)

“It’s a 388 skater and it’s estimated at about 10,000 horsepower,” Lee said. “So, they came to Lake Havasu earlier in the week intending to break the record here for the Desert Storm shootout. That was their first pass of the day and when they went over, the radar picked them up at 200.1 mph.”

Fellow racers told the station that the men on board owe their lives to those who built the boat.

“The last thing you ever want to see is a crash and especially something as horrendous as that,” shootout competitor Jeff Clark said, explaining that going as fast as the men were going can take away a driver’s ability to react. “At that speed, it doesn’t take much, you know, those tunnel holes are built to pack air, so the boat rides on top of the water. You know it’s like on a rail and if you pack up too much and that nose gets too high it’ll just – at that speed – take you airborne.”

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He added that his heart dropped when he saw Eastwood and Wayne’s boat go airborne.

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The boat flipped multiple times while airborne. (Credit: Speedboat Magazine)

“It’s never something you want to look at when you’re out having fun as a driver, for sure,” Clark said.

Both Lee and Clark said windy conditions may have been a factor in the crash but also may have helped the two men onboard.

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Lee told the station that when the boat cut the wind, it caused the vessel to remain airborne longer than if there had not been any substantial wind.

“You hold your breath, and you hold it until you see both racers emerge from the cockpit,” he said. “For the most part, uninjured.”

Since 1963, there have been 11 fatal racing crashes on Lake Havasu, Motorsport Memorial reported, with the deadliest occurring in 2018 when three people died when a boat named “Lickety Split” crashed.

Clark credited safety improvements for keeping the racers inside the vessel safe.

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“Those guys are alive for one reason and one reason only: That boat was built not to come apart,” he said. “So, when they were sitting in that cockpit and when you look at pictures of the boats, it’s totally destroyed but the cockpit is in perfect condition. I tip my hat to Skater and the crew that built that boat because it saved that guy’s life, it saved both of their lives, there’s no doubt about it.”

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Los Angeles, Ca

Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach

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Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach

A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire

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Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire

Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.

A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.

Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.

  • A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025.
  • Palisades Fire Suspect

Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.

“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”

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The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.

Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.

“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.

Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.

Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report

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Los Angeles, Ca

Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food

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Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food

Cleanup efforts are underway Thursday at the Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse that burned for eight days after firefighters officially declared the massive blaze knocked down Wednesday evening. Los Angeles Fire Department crews remain at the Lineage warehouse near Union Pacific Avenue and South La Puente Street as they transition into the overhaul phase, searching for […]

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