"Because I know there are kids out there, I want to make sure they all know that driving without braking is not something I recommend, unless you have professional clown training or a comedy background, as I do."Jerry Seinfeld, who lost his brakes and flipped his new car over in East Hampton during the weekend, was called a hero Thursday by Police Chief Todd H. Sarris. Once he realized the brakes were gone, Seinfeld had only seconds before his car came out of a side road onto busy Montauk Highway. "He avoided a catastrophic event," Sarris said. "I can't imagine the damage had that vehicle gone into the intersection."
Sarris said it appeared Seinfeld was going at the legal speed limit of 30 mph when he realized he had no brakes and quickly pulled his emergency brake, downshifted, and turned the steering wheel sharply to the right. His car, a 1967 two-door Fiat sedan, slid and flipped over at least once, stopping on its side, police said. Sarris said that a second car following Seinfeld - possibly driven by his publicist - took him back to his house about two miles away, but that the comedian immediately returned to the scene when asked to do so by police, who called him on the phone.
The two officers investigating the case told their chief that there were no indications Seinfeld had been drinking and that he answered all of their questions fully during the field interview. No charges were filed, and because there was no damage to any property except to the car, no accident reconstruction will be made. "I don't know if I would have had the presence of mind to do what he did," Sarris said.
East Hampton Town Police said Seinfeld was driving alone on Skimhampton Road early Saturday evening in Pantigo when the brakes failed. The crash occurred at 7:42 p.m., police said. The 53-year-old comedian was wearing both his lap-belt and a harness, Sarris said. And, when the brakes failed, Sarris said Seinfeld grabbed the emergency brake and cut the wheels in an attempt to slide the car to a stop. Apparently, though, the tires grabbed the pavement -- and caused the rollover.
The sitcom star, who co-wrote and co-produced the animated Bee Movie last year, did not require any hospitalization or medical attention -- though he was reportedly shaken by the time he arrived back at his home in East Hampton.
A car collector, Seinfeld has previously told journalists his favourite ride is a 1955 Porsche Spyder- the same car James Dean was driving when he was killed in 1955. Of course, you would think that when it comes to the Fiat Seinfeld would find a joke in the crash somewhere.
Any car buff will tell you the old standard for the Italian-built auto, which was a thrill to drive- but was often a mechanical nightmare. Q: "Do you know what Fiat stands for?" A: "Fix It Again, Tony."
