After newly released police bodycam and dashcam videos surfaced through a public records request, the July 24 crash involving former WWE executive Vince McMahon is receiving additional scrutiny for what the footage shows about speed, the moments leading up to the impact, and the subsequent traffic stop.
The videos show McMahon, now 80, driving a 2024 Bentley Continental GT on Connecticut’s Merritt Parkway at more than 100 mph when he crashed in Westport, according to state police. The footage includes a trooper’s dashcam view in which McMahon accelerates away and then brakes too late to avoid hitting the rear of a BMW, after which the Bentley swerves into a guardrail and careens back across the highway, creating a cloud of dirt and debris.
In the video, state police Detective Maxwell Robins questions McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley. Robins asks, “Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” State police said the Bentley can cost over $300,000, and McMahon responded, “I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” explaining he was on his way to see her.
Robins told McMahon that the officer was trying to catch up to him and clock his speed before pulling him over, and state police said the incident was not a pursuit—something that would involve police chasing a person trying to flee. In the footage, Robins says, “I’m trying to catch up to you and you keep taking off,” while McMahon replies, “No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you.”
The crash resulted in no serious injuries, according to state police. In addition to damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle traveling on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris, and the driver of that third car was wearing a WWE shirt, according to the police video. State police also said a trooper’s bodycam segment shows Robins asking whether McMahon had been looking at his phone when the crash happened; McMahon said he was not looking at a phone and added that he “hadn’t driven his car in a long time.”
The court outcome also figures prominently in the reporting around the incident. McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely, and a state judge in October allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program. That program is set to result in the charges being erased from his record next October if he successfully completes it, and he was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution.
McMahon’s lawyer, Mark Sherman, said the crash was an accident. Sherman said, “Not every car accident is a crime,” and he added that McMahon’s “primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”
The Associated Press said it obtained the videos on Wednesday through a public records request, after they were first obtained by The Sun newspaper. The reporting also includes statements from Barbara Doran, of New York City, who told the AP last summer that McMahon expressed concern for her and was glad she was OK; she said she was heading to a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard when the crash happened. After McMahon received the traffic summons, the footage shows him shaking hands with Robins and another trooper, with the officers wishing him well.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He later 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, which remains pending.