- July 31, 2026
According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Rick Staly was off duty and traveling with his wife to a dinner meeting Friday evening when a super speeder flew past his unmarked patrol vehicle on Interstate 95. The agency said Staly conducted a traffic stop and arrested a Palm Coast man after the driver's alleged reckless driving reached speeds of up to 125 mph.
Shortly before 5 p.m., Staly was traveling south on I-95 in his agency vehicle just south of the State Road 100 exit when a white 2016 Dodge Challenger with black racing stripes sped past him at a high rate of speed. Using his vehicle's certified speedometer, Staly paced the Challenger between 115 and 125 mph for nearly six miles while attempting to stop the driver, who was allegedly weaving across all three lanes of traffic and passing within three to four feet of the rear bumpers of slower vehicles.
The Sheriff activated his lights and siren, and the driver eventually pulled over on I-95 just south of Old Dixie Highway in Volusia County. The driver, Arul Nayak, 22, of Palm Coast, turned off the car, placed the keys on the roof, and was taken into custody without incident. FCSO said passing motorists who had previously been overtaken by the Challenger honked their horns as the traffic stop unfolded.
Nayak, who has no prior criminal history, told Staly he had a final pilot's exam on Saturday and hoped he would be released from jail in time.
"Driving 125 miles per hour and weaving through three lanes of traffic isn't a mistake, it's a decision to gamble with everyone else's life, including the three passengers sitting in his own car," said Sheriff Rick Staly. "This wannabe pilot was flying fast and low, but he wasn't in an airplane and this wasn't his final exam."
Staly arrested Nayak on charges of willful and wanton reckless driving and violating Florida's super speeder law. Because the traffic stop ended just inside Volusia County, he was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he was being held on a $500 bond.
