Spring Break reveler dies following horror accident moments after twerking on Jeep roof in viral video

By MELISSA KOENIG, US REPORTER

Published: | Updated:

A shirtless Spring Break reveler who was caught on camera twerking on top of a Jeep in the moments before it crashed has died of his injuries.

Michael Brown, 22, of Nixon, Texas, was pronounced dead last Friday morning after spending nearly a week in the hospital with a serious head injury from the March 14 crash in the Gulf Coast town of Port Aransas, KRIS-TV reports.

Brown had been riding in the passenger seat of a 2012 Jeep Wrangler when it crashed into a Tesla on State Highway 361.

The driver of the vehicle, Riley Rhoades, 24, was then arrested after blowing .14 and .12 blood alcohol content (BAC) during breath tests, according to court documents obtained by KIII 3 News.

In Texas, the legal BAC limit is .08, and Rhoades has been charged with one count of intoxication assault and is being held in the Nueces County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

Video shared on social media also showed a shirtless man climbing out of the Jeep’s roof and twerking as it drove down the highway just moments before impact. 

Three swimsuit-clad young people were then seen next to the shattered Jeep while EMS assisted an injured person on the road. 

The 22-year-old is now remembered as a ‘truly special’ and ‘energetic’ man.

Michael Brown, 22, of Nixon, Texas , was pronounced dead last Friday morning

He was seen climbing out of the Jeep’s roof and danced on top of it moments before it collided with another car on a Texas highway

Three swimsuit-clad young people were then seen next to the shattered Jeep while EMS assisted an injured person on the road 

‘His energetic personality was unmatched, and my son fondly recalls their time together,’ Kelsey Hurley posted on Facebook following the news of Brown’s death.

Brittany Shaver also wrote that Brown ‘wasn’t just a damn good cousin but [an] awesome son, amazing brother and the best of best friends/friend to others.’

He ‘loved to just have fun and let loose,’ she said, as an online fundraiser netted $660 for Brown’s funeral expenses.

The shocking death has left the coastal town on edge, as Port Aransas Mayor Wendy Moore telling KIII 3 News that first responders prepare for large crowds every year.

But she noted that many of the safety issues this time of the year are caused by visitors. 

‘We want those residents and visitors alike to know that we work really hard to keep these things isolated and keep them safe, and I hope they will be equally diligent about where they are in their surroundings,’ Moore said. 

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The Jeep driver, Riley Rhoades, 24, (pictured) was arrested and charged with one count of intoxication assault

So far this spring break season, officials say they have made 15 drinking while intoxicated arrests. 

Port Aransas Police Lt. Mike Hannon said they have called in additional help from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and DPS troopers during spring break.

‘What the community does not want here, what we are looking for, is bad conduct. unsafe conduct, people that are driving in an unsafe way. conducting themselves in an unsafe way,’ said Hannon. 

‘We’ve done that with a much higher level of enforcement, citations, and arrests, we’re hoping to deter that, and have people who want to come here for that purpose, not come here.’

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