Stefan Eriksson - Car Crash

Car Crash

On February 21, 2006, Eriksson lost control of an Enzo Ferrari sports car, valued at over USD2,000,000, while allegedly driving at a high speed and intoxicated along Pacific Coast Highway in California. The car careened off an embankment outside Malibu and hit a pole at about 162 miles per hour (261 km/h). The impact of the crash was so violent, it split the car in half. Eriksson and the Irish-born American Karney were found at the site. Eriksson claimed to be a passenger of the Ferrari, and that a man he only knew as "Dietrich" was the driver. Karney claimed to be the passenger of a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren that was racing the Ferrari. Neither Dietrich nor the Mercedes were to be found, and the police concluded at the time that Eriksson was the driver and Karney the passenger, and that neither "Dietrich" nor the McLaren existed. Furthermore, the extent of Eriksson's injuries amounted to a cut lip, and blood was found on the driver-side airbag.

Investigators confirmed the existence of the videotape of the accident shot from inside the car. The video showed the speedometer giving the 199 mph (320 km/h) reading right before it malfunctioned due to the crash. The tape is believed to be with Karney.

Eriksson brandished a business card claiming to be a deputy police commissioner with the San Gabriel Valley Transit Authority (whose founder was later arrested for perjury in connection with the case), and Karney borrowed a phone in a passerby's car where he tucked away a magazine for a Glock pistol. Two men showed up to speak with Eriksson, claiming to be from the Department of Homeland Security.

On March 29, 2006, Nicole Persson, Eriksson's fiancee, was pulled over while driving a 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. She was pulled over because the officer found the car's European license plate suspicious. It was discovered that Persson did not have a valid driver's license. The police found the car to be unregistered, carrying British license plates, and illegally exported from Britain. Further investigation revealed that the crashed red Enzo, a second black Enzo, and two other Mercedes-Benz cars were also unregistered and illegally exported. It was found that all five cars valued at $10.8 million were leased in Britain. Moreover, lease payments for them had ceased; and that after the export, the Mercedes was reported stolen in Britain with insurance pay-out. Footage of Eriksson in his black Enzo Ferrari, shot by the founders of a car enthusiast website, Car-parazzi.com, was held as evidence against him by European authorities.