Driver allegedly tries to steal helicopter after I-75 crash in Hernando County

A serious wreck on northbound Interstate 75 in Hernando County turned into a wider emergency scene when the pickup driver accused of causing the crash allegedly ran toward the medical helicopter and tried to steal it as crews prepared to fly two injured people to the hospital. The crash happened shortly after midnight Friday, June 19, 2026, and deputies shut down the northbound lanes so BayFlight could land.

Investigators identified the driver as Riley Ferrer. According to the report, Ferrer was traveling northbound on I-75 when he lost control of his pickup truck, left the road, struck another vehicle and overturned into the woods. Two people in the other vehicle suffered serious injuries, triggering the air-medical response and bringing multiple agencies into the response along the interstate.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office closed the highway so the helicopter could land and transport the patients. While crews were working around the injured victims, Ferrer reportedly ran past first responders and attempted to steal the aircraft. The attempt was unsuccessful, but it added another layer of danger to a crash scene that already involved serious injuries, shutdown traffic and emergency transport by air.

Ferrer also reportedly told officials he saw the anti-Christ moments before he lost control of the truck, a statement that underscored how erratic the encounter became. After the crash, deputies took him to Tampa General Hospital Brooksville for medical clearance. There, he reportedly refused to walk inside and had to be escorted by law enforcement. Once inside, he continued resisting and had to be physically controlled until local deputies arrived, before he was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center.

The jail booking listed three counts of resisting without violence and one count of burglary of an occupied conveyance. Records showed a $3,000 bond on the resisting charges, while Ferrer was held without bond on the burglary count. Jail listings in Hernando County are booking information only and do not represent a final criminal record.

BayFlight is part of Air Methods’ air-medical program, and the company says Bayflite has served Southeastern Florida communities since 1986. Air Methods says its Florida air medical services operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, a system designed for scenes like this one, where minutes can matter for crash victims along a busy interstate.

Florida crash reports can take up to 10 days to become available under state guidance. In the meantime, the Hernando County scene stands as a reminder of how quickly a highway crash can become a multi-agency rescue, with the risk extending beyond the wrecked vehicles to the responders and patients trying to get out alive.