Curiosity can get the better of us. A Florida man thought he’d disobey the law by entering the scene of a fatal plane crash to get a closer look.
The Clearwater Police Department said that officers found Joseph Schifano at the intersection of Sumo and Nagano Drives in Clearwater, Florida, on February 1, 2024. This was the location of a plane accident that had crashed into a mobile home park, killing three people.
The warning printed on the yellow police tape didn’t stop the 64-year-old man as he tried to get past the yellow warning tape while claiming to be a first responder. When he was unable to provide proof of his employment to authorities after going through the tape, Schifano allegedly told officers he was “just nosey.”
The police told the man to stay away from the scene but they later found him walking around the crash scene. According to the authorities, Schifano had walked underneath the yellow tape again and moved around the crime scene while recording video footage on his cellphone.
When officers caught Schifano the second time, he allegedly told them he knew what he did was wrong and that he was trying to record a video “for a media company in an attempt to make money.”
The elderly man was arrested and now faces a misdemeanor charge of obstructing or resisting an officer without violence. He was released from custody after posting a $500 bond.