Calvin Johnson Charged After ‘Teleported’ Stolen BMW Crash

Calvin Curtis Johnson speaks with a Volusia County deputy following the crash.
Image derived from Volusia County Sheriff’s Office body-camera footage.

Summary

A routine afternoon trip to an Ormond Beach dog park reportedly transformed into a
badly damaged BMW, a hospital visit and one of the more intergalactic explanations
recorded by a Florida deputy’s body camera.

According to a Volusia County arrest affidavit, the owner of a dark-gray 2018 BMW
230i convertible arrived at Bicentennial Park at approximately 2:45 p.m. on December
8, 2025. He parked near the dog park, left the vehicle unlocked and placed its keys
inside a closed cupholder. When he returned at approximately 3:30 p.m., the BMW was gone.

The owner told investigators that nobody had permission to take the car and signed an
affidavit stating that the vehicle had been taken without his knowledge or consent.
A witness at the park reportedly saw a man later identified as Calvin Curtis Johnson
enter the BMW and drive away.

The missing convertible did not remain missing for long. Deputies soon learned that a
BMW matching the stolen vehicle had been involved in a single-vehicle crash near North
U.S. Highway 1 and Plantation Oaks Boulevard. Some local reports described the crash
site as the Old Dixie Highway area near Plantation Oaks Boulevard. The arrest affidavit,
which is the primary law-enforcement document, identifies North U.S. Highway 1.

Witnesses told deputies that the BMW had been traveling at an extreme speed before the
crash. One estimate placed the speed at approximately 130 mph, while other reporting
described it more generally as exceeding 100 mph. The car left the roadway, suffered
catastrophic front-end damage and reportedly ignited surrounding vegetation.
Motorists and emergency personnel assisted at the scene.

Johnson was found injured and bloodied near the wreck. When a deputy questioned him
about the vehicle, Johnson repeatedly denied knowing how he had entered it. His
explanation was not a mistaken rideshare, an emergency borrowing arrangement or a
clerical mix-up involving identical German convertibles.

“I teleported.”

Body-camera footage recorded Johnson repeating the teleportation claim while the deputy
attempted to determine what had happened. He also referred to the X-Men and eventually
thanked the officer by saying, “You saved me from the aliens.”

No evidence described in the affidavit supported teleportation, extraterrestrial
interference or superhero involvement. Investigators instead relied on the vehicle
owner’s statement, the park witness’s identification, Johnson’s presence with the
crashed BMW and a records check showing that his Florida driving privilege had been
suspended since September 30, 2019.

Johnson was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center for treatment and placed
under guard. Authorities said he would be transferred to the Volusia County Branch
Jail after being medically released.

1. The Crime

Investigators alleged that Johnson entered an unlocked BMW parked at Bicentennial Park,
located the keys in the closed cupholder and drove away without the owner’s permission.
The alleged taking was classified as grand theft of a motor vehicle under Florida law.

The affidavit did not describe a confrontation between Johnson and the owner. The owner
was away from the car walking his dog when it disappeared. The case was therefore
investigated as a theft rather than a robbery or carjacking.

The theft allegation was followed almost immediately by a dangerous driving episode.
Witness accounts placed the BMW at more than 100 mph before it crashed. The current
corrections record associated with Johnson also lists reckless driving and driving
without a driver’s license.

2. Crime Location

The BMW was allegedly taken from Bicentennial Park at 1850 Ocean Shore Boulevard in
Ormond Beach, Florida. The park includes recreational areas and a dog park, which the
vehicle owner was visiting when the car disappeared.

The crash occurred a short time later near Plantation Oaks Boulevard. The arrest
affidavit identifies the intersection with North U.S. Highway 1. News coverage based
on the sheriff’s body-camera release also referred to the Old Dixie Highway area.

3. Date and Time of the Crime

The incident occurred Monday, December 8, 2025. The owner reported arriving at the park
at approximately 2:45 p.m. He discovered the vehicle missing at approximately 3:30 p.m.
The timestamp visible on body-camera footage from the crash scene is shortly before
4:00 p.m.

The compressed timeline was central to the case. The BMW allegedly went from parked
convertible to stolen vehicle to demolished roadside wreck in roughly an hour.

4. Police Department

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office investigated the theft, responded to the crash and
arrested Johnson. Deputy John Hicks is identified on the arrest affidavit as the
arresting officer.

Sheriff’s deputies interviewed the owner, obtained his sworn statement, located a
witness and conducted an identification procedure at Halifax Health Medical Center.
The witness reportedly identified Johnson as the person seen driving the BMW away
from Bicentennial Park.

5. Suspect Name

The suspect was identified as Calvin Curtis Johnson.

6. Suspect Age

Johnson was 36 years old when he was arrested. The affidavit lists his date of birth as
May 16, 1989.

7. Charges

The December 2025 arrest affidavit accused Johnson of the following offenses:

• Grand theft of a motor vehicle under Florida Statute
  812.014(2)(c)6.
• Driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked under
  Florida Statute 322.34.

Florida law categorizes theft of a motor vehicle under the cited provision as
third-degree grand theft. The current Volusia County corrections record also lists
driving without a driver’s license and reckless driving.

The corrections webpage does not define the “NSI” abbreviation on Johnson’s individual
record. For that reason, this article does not interpret the code as proof that the
felony charge was prosecuted, dismissed or resolved through a conviction.

8. Bond Amount

Contemporary reporting stated that Johnson’s bond was initially set at
$2,650.

The more recent Volusia County corrections page displays “no bond” and a $0 amount for
the two original charges. That later display should not be confused with the bond
amount reported immediately after the arrest, since custody records can change as a
case proceeds.

9. Conviction

No final conviction for grand theft of a motor vehicle was located in the publicly
accessible sources reviewed for this article as of July 28, 2026.

The county corrections record lists the misdemeanor driving-without-a-license and
reckless-driving entries as time served. It does not display a detailed judgment,
plea agreement or narrative explaining how those misdemeanor entries were resolved.

10. Sentence

No prison, probation or monetary sentence was located for the original grand-theft
allegation. The corrections page reports time served for the separate driving-without-
a-license and reckless-driving entries.

Readers should not infer a felony sentence from an arrest report alone. Arrest
affidavits describe the probable cause asserted by law enforcement, while convictions
and sentences are determined later through the court system.

11. Outcome

The immediate outcome was considerably less mysterious than the explanation offered
at the roadside. The BMW was severely damaged, Johnson was taken to a hospital and
deputies placed him under guard before his transfer to the county jail.

No deaths were reported in the available accounts. The vehicle owner was not inside
the BMW during the crash. The alleged driver survived despite the extreme speed,
extensive vehicle damage and reported fire at the scene.

12. Victim

The direct victim was the owner of the 2018 BMW 230i convertible. He had parked at
Bicentennial Park to walk his dog and returned to find his vehicle missing.

The car was recovered only after suffering extensive crash damage. Available reports
described it as totaled or catastrophically damaged. The available sources did not
report that the owner suffered a physical injury.

Victim Name

The arrest affidavit identifies the vehicle owner as
Philip Lawrence Tomich.

Victim Age

Tomich’s age was not stated in the arrest affidavit or the other reliable public
sources reviewed for this article.

Why This Case Matters

The stranger-than-fiction remarks attracted most of the headlines, but the underlying
incident involved a serious road-safety risk. A vehicle allegedly driven at more than
100 mph can become lethal long before anyone has time to understand why it is moving
that fast.

The case also illustrates how quickly an opportunistic vehicle theft can occur. The BMW
was reportedly unlocked, and its keys were left inside the passenger compartment.
Deputies used the incident to remind drivers to lock their vehicles and remove or
secure their keys, even during brief visits to familiar public places.

Finally, the evolving database entries demonstrate why an arrest headline should not
be treated as the final chapter. Initial charges, bond conditions, charging decisions,
pleas and sentences are separate procedural stages. A dramatic body-camera video can
travel around the internet in hours, while an accurate case outcome may take months to
emerge.

This article is based on law-enforcement records, corrections information and published
reporting available as of July 28, 2026. Criminal accusations are allegations unless
and until proven in court. Case records and custody information may change.