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Driver Who Did Fastest Lap Around Manhattan May Never Drive Again
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 5, 2014
Modified Mar 5, 2014
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 5, 2014
Modified Mar 5, 2014
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Last fall, police arrested Adam Tang (a.k.a. Afroduck), the driver who released a video claiming he had set the record for the fastest loop around Manhattan. Tang, 30, claims he drove from the FDR Drive around to the Henry Hudson Parkway and back in 24 minutes. The Harlem resident, who pleaded not guilty to a charge of reckless endangerment, was in court this week asking for his license to be returned. He may have had an easier time making an argument had he not bragged about his lust for speed to cops.
"I’ve done it several times," Tang admitted to cops about his record drive, according to court records made public this week. "I drive fast all the time. Driving fast is normal for me….I can consistently do it in 24 minutes. I have done it in 24 minutes before, without a camera. I think I could do it in 19 minutes." Tang also bragged about driving "from Calgary to New York in 38 hours. That’s 4,300 miles in 38 hours,” he said. "When I go on these adventures, I accept the risks. I have gotten speeding tickets in the past. I have also had accidents."
Tang said he recorded his Manhattan lap because "part of the bragging rights is to develop a good video." Tang's lawyer Gregory Gomez argued that he is a good driver and isn’t a threat to society, and after all, all Tang did was bring a little joy to the world: “I feel that a sensational and exciting video was made that many people around the world loved and watched," Gomez said.
This, perhaps, wasn't the best defense strategy: "He made a videotape of himself circumnavigating Manhattan at a high rate of speed and he admits doing this,” countered prosecutor Mary Weisgerger. “He certainly should not have his license." The judge has agreed for now, saying that if Tang's conduct (which, mind you, he admitted to) is true, then he was "extremely dangerous."
Tang, who rejected a plea deal of 60 days in jail, faces up to a year behind bars if convicted. Which means he'll miss out on 1,440 chances to break his own record. Maybe he can take some solace in the fact that his video was a plot point on Blue Bloods.
Tagged
adam tang
afroduck
arrest
cars
driving
fastest loop
loop
manhattan
nypd
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record
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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