Newly released police video obtained by The Associated Press shows former WWE CEO Vince McMahon's high-speed car crash in Connecticut last summer and reveals that a state trooper was trying to catch up to him to pull him over at the time.
McMahon, now 80, was driving his 2024 Bentley Continental GT on the Merritt Parkway in Westport on July 24 -- coincidentally, the same day that WWE legend Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida. State police said the Bentley, which can cost over $300,000, was going 100 mph (160 kph) or more.
"Why were you driving all over 100 mph?" state police Detective Maxwell Robins asked McMahon after the crash, according to police bodycam video. Replied McMahon: "I got my granddaughter's birthday."
Robins' dashcam video showed McMahon approaching a BMW in the same lane, appearing to hit the brakes and swerving into the left lane at the last second. The Bentley clipped the rear of the other car before smashing into the left lane guardrail and careening back onto the highway, creating a cloud of dirt and car parts.
No one was seriously injured in the crash, police said. Besides damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. A state judge in October allowed McMahon to enter a pretrial probation program that will result in the charges being erased from his record next October if he successfully completes the program. He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution.
State police said Robins was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape the trooper.
"I'm trying to catch up to you and you keep taking off," Robins told McMahon in video recorded by police body cameras on the side of the highway.
Replied McMahon: "No, no no. I'm not trying to outrun you."
When asked by Robins why McMahon didn't change lanes sooner to avoid the crash, McMahon denied looking at his phone and added that he hadn't driven his car in a long time. The video also showed McMahon talking to the driver whose car he rear-ended. Barbara Doran, of New York City, told the AP last summer that McMahon expressed his concern for her and was glad she was OK.
After McMahon was given the traffic summons, he shook hands with Robins and another trooper and they wished him well.
McMahon stepped down as WWE's CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
McMahon bought what was then the World Wrestling Federation in 1982 and transformed it from a regional wrestling company into a worldwide phenomenon. Besides running the company with his wife, Linda, who is now the U.S. education secretary, he also performed at WWE events as himself.