Tara Ashley Palmieri, 19, has attracted a lot of attention on social media after police body camera footage detailing her arrest surfaced on Mickey Pipes’ YouTube channel, Cuffed By Cops. The footage captures Palmieri being taken into custody after an alleged traffic incident in New Smyrna Beach, leading to the alleged crime. The incident, captured by Volusia County police body camera footage, serves as a record of the events leading up to Palmieri’s arrest and heated argument with law enforcement officers inside his garage.
The police say what happened
According to coverage by Cuffed by Cops, officers with the New Smyrna Beach Police Department were investigating a hit and run on Pioneer Trail when Palmieri allegedly passed an officer at a high rate of speed. Palmieri was driving a white 2024 Ford Mustang when she passed another vehicle in a no passing zone and pulled into the road toward the officer who signaled her to stop. The officer said Palmieri did not slow down, brake, or follow direct commands, he added. He had to swerve out of the lane, he said, to avoid being hit.
How the authorities tracked him down
Minutes later, officers found the Mustang parked in a nearby residential neighborhood. When they got to the garage where the vehicle was discovered, they found the hood was warm, meaning the car had been driven recently. Police made contact with Palmieri inside the garage, and she admitted to the encounter with the officer as she drove carelessly. She said she thought the man was just a person in white and black and not an officer, and that he wasn’t completely in front of her vehicle. Authorities dismissed that explanation, telling Palmieri that he was given clear hand signals to stop and that the episode was videotaped on a body camera. He was taken into custody immediately.
What has star Ashley Palmieri been accused of?
Palmieri was arrested and charged with fleeing and eluding law enforcement, which is a felony in Florida. She repeatedly challenged the officer’s account during the encounter, saying she was driving the speed limit and requesting to meet with a supervisor. The responding officer told him lights and sirens were not necessary because he was in full uniform and ordered him to stop. The officer also told Palmieri and her father in a phone call that another person at the original crash scene had seen the incident filmed — and his body camera footage showed him speeding.
Booking details and court date
Palmieri was booked on a $2,500 bond. His next court date is December 3, 2025. Officials said he later posted bond and the case remains pending.
Why is the internet obsessed with this case?
The viral attention that has accrued since Palmieri’s arrest is less about the legal charges and more about the online circulation of the video. A photo posted by an X user of star Ashley Palmieri reads: “19-year-old girl in white Mustang pulls Fast & Furious move and tries to run from police – only for officer to track her straight to her home minutes later.” The tweet has been viewed by more than 2.6 million people on social media.
Social media feedback
When the footage aired, comments from online users ranged from sympathetic to completely inappropriate. Some of the most viral shared reactions included:
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“She must be my wife.”
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“Bail him out.”
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“Free him. He did nothing wrong. America is such an over-policed society.”
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“I think I can fix him.”
Others focused on her looks, not the case itself, making the mix even more polarizing and uncomfortable.
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