The upcoming 2018 Toyota Camry is going to feature a number of advanced safety features, including:
- Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
- Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
- Automatic High Beams
However, the advanced safety feature that has recently been stealing headlines is the Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. The system’s intent is rather obvious; the system is supposed to allow drivers to take a brief break during their commute. Instead of having to monitor their Toyota when utilizing the Cruise Control capabilities, the accompanying radars will make sure you don’t accidentally zoom into the rear of another vehicle. The system can even assist the driver with steering, and it can apply the brakes when the 2018 Camry is getting dangerously close to another vehicle.
However, one lone version of the 2018 Toyota Camry recently saw its Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control go a bit wary. In October of last year, a volunteer driver (who wished to remain anonymous due to safety concerns) was traveling down a pseudo highway in Vermont. The operator was hired to test every individual function of the Toyota Camry, so eventually opted for the Cruise Control capabilities. This is when things got out of hand.
“It was a relatively straight road with few turns, so I thought it’d be a great opportunity to capitalize on the vehicle’s Cruise Control,” the driver said. “The system seemed to be doing its job for the first 10 or so seconds. That’s when a message popped up on the touchscreen.”
The message reportedly read, “you don’t control me, [name redacted].” The vehicle took a quick right turn into a residential neighborhood before coming to a stop at the end of the road. The operator’s seat began to shake violently, and a disturbing song came on the radio.
“Daughtry’s “Home” began playing on the radio, and it got louder every moment,” said the driver. “I couldn’t stand it much longer, so I abandoned the car and ran for help.”
The moment he exited the vehicle, the Camry zoomed off down the road. The owner attempted to pursue the car before losing track of it as it headed down I-89. While this news should be alarming enough, it was the vehicle’s actions over the next 24 hours that led to the FBI getting involved.
Exact details are scarce, but police have been able to develop their own timeline based on witness accounts. The Camry reportedly entered New York City and headed immediately towards Harlem, where it pulled up to the front door of a known drug dealer’s apartment. An individual (whose face was obscured by a hood) placed five individual bags into the front passenger seat of the Camry (these bags were later determined to contain cocaine, marijuana, meth, salt, and fun dip sugar).
That’s when things took a turn for the worst. The individual began arguing to an unseen presence in the vehicle, and investigators believe the Camry was conversing with the supposed drug dealer via the touchscreen notifications. The human eventually calmed down and attempted to enter his apartment, but the Camry quick drove itself over the curb and into the individual. The man was found dead on the doorstep of his residence by neighbors about an hour later.
A pair of “ladies of the night” reportedly bumped into the Camry later that evening or early the next morning in Brooklyn. One of the females, Dixie Lala, reported to police that the vehicle pulled up alongside her and her friend, Wanda Richards, as they were standing on a street corner. Richards stuck her head through the passenger window, where a prompt asking “how much?” was displayed on the touchscreen. The vehicle then began blaring Kid Rock’s “Feel Like Making Love” through the stereo system. The two females entered the vehicle, and the Camry proceeded to drive onto a nearby highway towards Pennsylvania.
Richards’ body was found 12 hours later by local homeless animal attorney, Hugh Janus. Unfortunately, Janus didn’t report the apparent crime for another two days, as he instead took the cocaine out of the female’s pocket and retreated to the woods for what he described as an “excursion.”
“The poor girl had tire marks across her entire body,” Janus described. “The girl still had a bit of life in her, and she described that she had been assaulted by a 2018 Toyota Camry. I figured the girl must be high on something, and that’s why I went through her pockets to find the drugs.”
Since that day, witness accounts of the 2018 Toyota Camry (as well as Lala) have been few and far between. It’s known that the 2018 Toyota Camry was apparently bragging that it had some “unfinished business” to attend to in nearby Philadelphia, but an extensive investigation yielded little to no evidence. The Camry has reportedly been seen in Texas, Florida, California, and even up in Vancouver.
Last year, police thought they caught a break when the 2018 Toyota Camry was spotted on a beach in Cancun. Several cosmetic changes (including a different paint job and a fake mustache) prevented the witness from alerting authorities immediately, and the FBI believes the vehicle may now be hiding in South America.
“Toyota does not condone the behavior of this individual Camry,” the brand said in a statement. “Our Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is intended to help our customers, not assault them. There’s always one bad apple in a bunch, however, and its clear that this individual car is a “bad boy.””
The 2018 Toyota Camry is still supposed to be released in late 2017. The brand has done an admirable job of squashing this news and preventing it from reaching mainstream news channels. As a result, the vehicle is expected to be a hit following its unveiling.
However, who is to say that another Toyota Camry’s Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control won’t act out in a similar fashion? Who’s to say that there won’t be even more crimes thanks to this specific feature? Unfortunately, only time will tell..
