TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have re-arrested a 49-year-old self-proclaimed Instagram influencer accused of crashing a luxury car into seven vehicles, injuring six people, and fleeing the scene, reports Fuji News Network (Aug. 4).
Ryumi So, who boasts over 550,000 followers on social media, built an online persona around a lavish lifestyle. However, police investigations into the crash have since exposed his extravagant life as a sham.
The multi-vehicle collision occurred in March on a national highway in Hachioji City. So allegedly plowed a black Bentley into a line of vehicles waiting at a red light, striking a total of seven cars and leaving six men and women injured.
During police questioning, So admitted to the charges. “I stepped on the accelerator and caused an accident, colliding with about seven or eight cars,” he was quoted as saying.
In an apparent attempt to make an excuse, the suspect added, “The Bentley is a foreign car and wider than Japanese cars, so it was difficult to get past the stopped vehicles without hitting them.”
Hid under a plastic sheet
Video footage taken immediately after the crash showed the heavily damaged Bentley billowing white smoke before striking a roadside curb. So was seen leaping from the driver’s seat and sprinting away on foot while the battered vehicle continued to slowly roll forward.
After abandoning the car, So broke into a vacant house and hid under a plastic sheet. His escape was cut short when a police dog tracked his scent, leading to his on-the-spot arrest for trespassing. He has now been re-arrested on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in injury.
Flaunting his wealth
Prior to the crash, So regularly posted videos to his followers showing himself downing massive mugs of beer and flaunting his supposed wealth. In one video titled “A little adult shopping spree,” he pretended to impulse-buy a luxury car worth over 30 million yen.
According to police, So never actually purchased the vehicle and had merely asked the dealership for a price estimate in order to fake a luxurious life for social media.
