85-year-old William Bosworth reflects on viral 110 mph Florida arrest

William Bosworth became an internet sensation after video showed sheriff’s deputies pulling over the 85-year-old for allegedly driving 110 mph and racing another driver, the description on a WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando YouTube post states. The clip, titled “‘It devastated me:’ 85-year-old Florida man reflects on viral 110 mph arrest,”

“It devastated me,” Bosworth told News 6 investigator Mike DeForest in the interview the station posted. “It’s funny, but it’s not funny. I know it’s serious.” Lake County deputies took him into custody June 13 on U.S. 27 near Leesburg, the News 6 report says. They said they clocked him at 110 mph while racing a red Corvette. The other driver, Philip Signorino, was clocked at 125 mph, according to that account.

Bosworth spoke to deputies from his car during the stop. “I am just out having a little ride in my favorite car,” he told them, News 6 reported. “I’m not a street racer.” He later told DeForest that the Corvette swerved into his lane and that he accelerated to get clear. He faced charges of racing and dangerous excessive speeding under Florida’s Super Speeder law, which took effect in 2025 and covers driving at least 50 mph over the limit or 100 mph or more in a manner that endangers others. A first conviction under the racing statute is a first-degree misdemeanor and brings a one-year license revocation.

He pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charges. “I didn’t want to go to jail,” Bosworth told DeForest of that choice. The plea brought one year of supervised probation, a $500 fine and an advanced driver improvement course. His driver’s license was suspended for a year. He has spent more than $7,000 on legal costs, he said.

The suspension has been the hardest part, according to Bosworth. “I can’t do anything. I’m not in jail. But I’m behind bars in my house.” He said the fallout has weighed on his household. “It’s put a terrible burden on my wife. We don’t want to eat out no more. I’m a dead man walking.”

His 2006 Nissan 350Z convertible, fitted with seat covers marked “Bosworth,” now sits idle in the garage. “I’ve liked cars all my life,” Bosworth told DeForest. Signorino, 57, has pleaded not guilty to racing and dangerous excessive speeding. A jury trial is scheduled for October, News 6 reported.