Michael Hastings: New Surveillance Video Shows Fiery Crash

At the risk of redundancy - I will repost a (my) review of the article written by Michael Krikorian...found, here www.abovetopsecret.com...

Notes from Death of Rolling Stone “Muckracker”: The Michael Hastings Wreck–Video Evidence Only Deepens the Mystery
Author - Michael Krikorian (and David J. Krajicek)

Krikorian’s girlfriend - Nancy Silverton - owned a restaurant - Pizzeria Mozza - at the corner of Melrose & North Highland...and the restaurant had a "security camera" outside the front door (facing North Highland’).
The author arrived at the scene around 9 a.m., to pick up his car that had been left at the restaurant the night before… He let an officer know that the restaurant security camera may show what happened…and, later - when the pizzeria manager arrived...they (author, girlfriend & police officer, minimally) watched the security camera footage...
The officer...was stunned...(saying) "I have never seen a car explode like that."

When the flatbed was leaving with the burned Mercedes CL 250...the author said that "the front of the car, particularly the driver's side, was badly damaged..."

Later, after determining "who" the victim was...the author showed the "video" to a former U.S. Navy military policeman (46 years old) who served in Afghanistan...named Terry Hopkins. In response to the video, Hopkins said "I've never seen an explosion like that... I've seen military vehicles explode, but never quite like that..."
Apparently, the police investigators considered the skid marks evident in the LoudLabs video, just south of the cross-walk on the south side of Melrose...to have been 'tire marks"...and, they, likewise, "measured them".

"About 100 feet after the car zooms by (the front door of the restaurant)...it starts to swerve. At about 195 feet from the camera, the car jumps the curb of the center median, heading toward a palm tree 56 feet away.
"About halfway between the curb and the tree, the car hits a metal protrusion - perhaps 30 inches tall and 2 feet wide - that gives access to city water mains below. This is where the first small flash occurs. This pipe may have damaged the undercarriage of the car, perhaps rupturing a fuel line...
"...A second flash immediately follows the first. It might be the brake lights, but it's hard to tell. The next frame is dark. Then comes the first explosion, followed immediately by a large fireball..."

An Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor viewed the footage, and said –

"...a bomb would have propelled the car upward, not forward. ...It's very hard to blow up stuff well... I think too many things would have to go right. Luck would be involved. Good and bad. Does someone doing this to Hastings want to rely on luck? Too many things have to go right. It would have to be perfect. And that's almost impossible. ...It comes down to physics. A bomb would have lifted the car and the engine up. ...this car doesn't go up, and the engine goes forward, which makes sense since the car apparently did not hit the tree head on."

Another telling remark, was - "None of this happens without the speed."

While the LAPD had said that there was "no foul play"...a week after that statement, the "lead investigator on the case" said that no explanation/s had been ruled out.
Nevertheless...she (lead investigator) gave another remark that suggests that they "have" ruled out the possibility of foul play, saying... "If this were anything other than an accident, other departments would have been brought in to investigate." ...and, the author's aside seemed considerably appropriate - "Though one might think 'other departments' would have been needed in any case - simply to determine whether it was an accident or not."

(thoughts to follow)

Here are the "thoughts that followed":
www.abovetopsecret.com...

I did not excerpt or reference the description of “traffic” that preceded the wreck in the previous “Notes from” post…but, they may be relevant to others…so, let me give the summary:
In the 79 seconds of security camera footage that preceded the appearance of the vehicle that crashed, three other vehicles had passed on the same stretch of North Highland’ in front of the camera… Two going south (just like the Mercedes), and one going north.

With that out of the way, let’s consider what would appear to be new details, derived from the security camera footage...
195 feet (or so) past the skid marks, apparently left by the Mercedes after (probably) bottoming-out on the “Melrose-rise”…the Mercedes “jumped the curb”…with 56 feet remaining before the fateful palm tree.
If this is the case – that would place the “curb jumping point” at or near the last palm tree before the crash.
Again – if this is the case – the fact that the ADP security vehicle was positioned at (or near) this spot when the LoudLabs camera rolled-up on the scene…could explain why any disturbances that might have been left in the median-turf were not evident (because of disguise, shadow or being entirely blocked from view).
Nevertheless – all things considered – 56 feet is a very narrow window at 80+ (or 100+) mph.
And, regardless of what the motivation was…the curb-jumping-point could just as easily have been the end-point in this exercise.
If the “curb-jumping-point” and the claim that the vehicle remained in/on the median until the crash, are both accurate…we must contend with how much stock to place in the eye-witness testimony of Jose’…as, he clearly gave a/the “screech” (as in, tires braking/skidding) sound, followed by a “hard pull of the steering wheel, to the left” visual in his statement/s.
Could have been...the vehicle jumping the curb...or...his mind trying to fill-in-the-blanks…but, again – you have to wonder if any other “filled-in-blanks” might have been part of the testimony. (this paragraph edited for the Michael Hasting: New Surveillance Video Shows Fiery Crash thread)

About halfway between the curb-jumping-point and the explosion, the vehicle hit the metal utility cover (water main related), that was accompanied with a “flash”…that was almost immediately followed by another “flash”…which Krikorian suggested could have been brake lights…and just as likely, could have been something else.
The car did not meet the tree with the center of the front-end, but rather…impact was more to the driver’s side…which (might have) allowed for the engine & tranny to eject through the side of the engine compartment experiencing less impedance.
Driving on a grass/turf median at a high rate of speed, when one is used to driving on a more tractable surface like asphalt…is not a precision sport. It is very easy to slip & slide (and – video evidence shows plenty of high grass).
Again – not knowing the motivation (suicide, loss of certain-or-all controls, etc…), we cannot state with certainty, if his intent was to hit the palm tree…or looking to escape a hell ride (alive)…
If he did not intend to hit the palm tree…the fact that he didn’t hit it dead-center could support the hypothesis that he was trying to slow the car…and was trying to miss the tree.
If he did intend to hit the palm…the fact that he didn’t hit it dead-center could simply be a result of the lack of control that would derive from the “less tractable turf”.

It would seem that most people considering this incident, on both sides of the “foul play – no foul play” fence, agree that no matter which answer is correct – everything had to go exactly as it did, for the conclusion to be as it was.
(the last statement/s have been edited-out for the Michael Hasting: New Surveillance Video Shows Fiery Crash thread)

Originally posted by spacedoubt
Why does this "surveillance" video appear to be taken by a handheld?

I mean, typically security cams are mounted, and very stable.
Notice how this one seems to be moving a little left, right, up down, etc...
It looks hand held...

another fake story, riddled with intentional inconsistencies.

mike hastings (my k-strings or my 11 strings) is a planted fabricated persona,
way too famous for way too little.

and again the government (obama) and the jews are incriminated.

it's building! wait for it!

This is way too much of a coincidence to not be taken seriously.

Hastings became a vocal critic of the surveillance state during the investigation of reporters by the US Department of Justice in 2013, referring to the restrictions on the freedom of the press by the Obama administration as a "war" on journalism.[5] His last story, "Why Democrats Love To Spy On Americans", was published by BuzzFeed on June 7.[6] Hastings died in a fiery high-speed automobile crash on June 18, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.[7]

Wikipedia: Michael Hastings

See? He was starting to report on how the Obama Administration was cracking down on journalists (totally true and also unethical) as well as reporting on the surveillance state. He was probably onto some big stories. This is just ridiculous. He was only 33.


So the Obama Administration wants to crack down on journalists, huh? How come? What kind of shady things is the government up to with our tax dollars that could be spent on something like education?

And then the administration thinks it is okay to assassinate American citizens willy-nilly!?

IMO, a comment on the source's website says it best.

Michelle Renee from Facebook 16 hours ago
Mysterious? Looks like he was going way too fast, lost control and crashed.

dsc201knoc 16 hours ago
@Michelle Renee Read the comment before yours... I mean I guess you missed the flash... This was a new mercedes c-class... Have you even driven an audi merc or a bmw before? You know how hard it is to loose control of one of these cars? Its not your moms honda civic. These cars are solid for straight roads and turns at speeds in excess of 165mph in a straight line and 110-120mph in rounding turns. The report shows no skid marks, when a person thinks they are going to crash the first thing they do is say 'ohh #' and slam on the brakes.. People can say anti lock brakes.. Let me tell you, if you slam on the brakes hard enough and jerk the wheel to avoid collision with something there will be skid marks.

Second, i dont know what movies you have been watching, cars dont just burst into flames, unless we are talking about the 90s era Taurus and escort with the faulty cruise control wiring of the ferrari that was recalled for fire issues. Might want to know a little something before you make some comment about not knowing how to drive. If you understood the dynamics and build of the model he was driving you might have had a little more of an intellectual comment than 'Mysterious?" So might want to think a little harder. I understand complex thought is hard.

lmporter5 14 hours ago
@dsc201knoc It's pretty obvious that you are the know nothing here. All cars can burst into flames if going at a high enough speed and then crashing into something (ie like a huge tree). This was a routine speeding accident. I think we will learn in time that this guy was drunk (he has a history of substance abuse).

dsc201knoc 10 hours ago
Actually cars don't burst into flames. It doesn't happen period. So go check yourself guy. Stop watching movies and think for yourself. Engines don't fall out of cars, they don't burst into flames and explode. It just doesn't happen. Like i said we aren't talking about a civic we are talking about a Germany engineered performance car.

How come this video pops up so fast, but the security footage of things like 9.11 etc, they never show up at all?

reply to post by WanDash


I'm certainly no expert but a 60 degree turn doesn't seem to be too far off the mark. What would you put it at?

reply to post by iamhobo



That's the one thing I thought about from the get go. Cars don't just explode like that. They may catch fire, but they don't explode.

Get this:

Source

Another significant detail pointed out by some members of law enforcement, is the intensity of the fire inside the car. It’s highly unusual since gasoline generally doesn’t burn that hot. Reviewing video footage from the scene, the intensity of the fire resembles a “thermite” burn

Sounds a lot like how some described what happened to the twin towers. Some also suspected thermite.

Originally posted by nunya13
reply to post by WanDash

 

...I'm certainly no expert but a 60 degree turn doesn't seem to be too far off the mark. What would you put it at?
...

The way (angle-to-the-street) the car came to rest, is not how the car met the tree.
When they studied the security camera footage that is the subject of this thread, they determined that the car travelled on the median for the last 56 feet (or so), prior to impact with the tree.
The car's front end did not meet the tree "dead-center", but rather, more to the driver's side.
It was this "off-centered collision" that allowed for the front grillwork to rip & tear...opening a path for the engine & tranny to eject.
JBA2848 located some crash-test footage for this model, that showed an eerily similar angle of controlled collision (at 50 mph)...and, the results were remarkably similar to the "body damage" evident in Mr. Hastings' vehicle. (the engine & tranny did not eject in the crash test video)
When the car met the tree at this angle - physics took over, swinging the car's right (passenger) rear side in the same direction that it had been moving prior to impact...and ultimately, settling into the position/angle we've seen in all of the aftermath videos and photographs.

ETA: Actually - I don't think it happened EXACTLY like that... I think that, upon impact, the front end started crumpling, tearing & disintegrating, the rear-end left the ground, slamming the roof into the tree...all while the momentum & angle of impact caused the car to continue trying to move forward...which could not be "through" the tree...but, swinging in the direction of least/no resistance...and the car fell/settled back down, where we see it.
...just to be honest...

reply to post by nunya13


Well this is Hollywood area. All Hollywood car crashes end with massive explosions!

But to be more serious. I'm a very skeptical person about most things, ok everything.
There is just something abut this story that has me thinking more than just a car crash.
I'm glad folks are really analyzing this one.

Others have commented on the fire. Usually cars brew up in a dirty oily fire. They can be quickly engulfed, yes, but this was an instantaneous very bright outburst of fire. I'd like to hear somebody explain that in a believable way.

An incendiary ignited would not have the same explosive effect as an explosive but it would undoubtedly be very bright. Magnesium?

Sometimes you get that intense light when a drag racer burning some exotic fuel burns.

Incidentally, that would be another way to ruin a driver's composure. Find some means of suddenly switching from gasoline to nitrous oxide as fuel. The vehicle would suddenly take off like a rocket.

Further along the lines of an exotic fuel. If you could use plastic components, under the hood in the area of the engine to introduce nitrous oxide into the fuel chain, there would be a sudden burst of speed, followed by a crack up, followed by an immediate intense fire under the hood which might shoot back along the steering column into the driver's upper torso and face.

An eyewitness to the extraction of Hastings' body said that most of the body didn't seem to be burned but that the face was scorched and blackened.

Meanwhile, all of your "add ons" would burn up in the blaze.

reply to post by dreamingawake


Thanks for bringing this for discussion here.
It should be noted - that new surveillance video, while it might not say much about what happened... it does show a few things, and also could omit things useful to the investigation.

In particular:
1. It does appear that the car was traveling very fast (vehicle speed unknown) by the camera.
With no idea of what the framerate of that video is, it's a guess as to the actual speed.. and time of the events as they occurred.

Watching it frame by frame, it does appear that the car did swerve... as in the headlights did look to point to the right just before the first flash, but it looks to me that said car never crossed the median before impact.

2. That surveillance video, secondly... is much too short in time, and also pretty low quality.
Realizing that It's not taken from the actual tape, it's recorded on a screen, that is understood.
But, the fact that the recording ends very shortly after the crash... could lead some to wonder, or even speculate - was he being followed?

Without the full version of that tape, it doesn't say much for evidence.
I myself, (and probably many here) would like to see the full recording before deciding.

Still on the fence with this one.
T-

i Believe this is proof that he was killed. the break lights are on all though out the video but theirs no skid marks lift behide and the car is not sliding at all the wheels are are clearly free moving and not locked up. at about 18.5 secounds in you can see a flash coming form inside the car as to what this is i dont know maybe a camera flash or a small explosive but ether way this is murder

Could he have already been dead and the car loaded with some kind of incendiary/explosive device? Is it possible that it could have been controlled remotely and evidence destroyed in fire. Or if he was drugged and not dead it might explain the brake lights. Maybe he was hitting them but they were bypassed?

On local talk radio( we're talking small town not big city) a caller mentioned that a music CD can be placed in your car that would completely take over its electronic and computer system . You could play it in you home stereo. Cd player and it would play music and you'd never know it was altered. Put it in you cars system and it would take control of your engine and on board computer.
Nice way to eliminate somebody.

Update in relation to the video

Transcripts of 9/11 calls released and video explaining what is seen on the OP/released "Video Shows Fiery Crash" : Three explosions - not normal

Video continued at source : SanDiego6

Just prior to airtime, San Diego 6 News received the Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) response to its FOIA request for transcripts of the 911 calls made by witnesses describing the sounds of explosions that woke them and took the life of the award-winning journalist in the early hours of June 18.

There were seven 911 calls included in the FOIA from the LAPD to San Diego 6 News:

Call one; “Caller reported an accident, the car exploded. Caller was transferred to the Los Angeles City Fire Department.”

Call two; “Caller reported a huge accident, and the car had blown up. Caller was transferred to the Los Angeles City Fire Department.”

Call three; “Caller reported a car accident occurred in front of his house, and the car is burning.”

Call four; “Caller reported a traffic collision, he is not involved, there is a possible fatality because there was a giant explosion that occurred in the median, unknown if anyone got out of the vehicle.”

Call five; “Caller reported a car is totally engulfed in flames.”

Call six; “Caller reported a large fire on the divider of the road, he is not sure if there is a car involved.”

And call seven; “Caller reported huge auto accident.”

SanDiego6

They are still requesting the audio.

According to San Diego 6 News reporter Kimberly Dvorak, “John Brennan was Hastings next exposé project.” Dvorak says she received an email from the CIA, “acknowledging Hastings was working on a CIA story,” although the text of that email was not displayed.

Dvorak also cites a Stratfor email hacked by Wikileaks and first published last year which names Brennan as being, “behind the witch hunts of investigative journalists learning information from inside the beltway sources.”

“There is specific tasker from the WH to go after anyone printing materials negative to the Obama agenda (oh my.) Even the FBI is shocked,” states the email.
www.infowars.com...
Before being sworn in as CIA director in March this year, Brennan was a counterterrorism advisor for the Obama administration and helped compile the “kill lists” for the White House’s drone assassination program.

The car was going stupid fast, and struck the tree a long way downrange of the camera, and the footage sucked as usual, like watching these UFO garbage clips everyone puts on you-tube, anyway....

All of the lights went out when it hit the tree, or the car spun and the lights went out of view, the fire started a second or so after it came to a stop from wires shorting from being pinched between twisted metal, and exposed light bulb filaments because the glass broke on impact, the engine left and high pressure fuel sprayed for a moment and was ignited by shorted wires sparking and exposed filaments probably, even if the battery was crushed or ejected, current dwells for a second or so in the circuitry, plus some of the on board systems have backup capacitors and batteries to stabilize voltage.

There are plenty of ways it could have ignited, I'm fairly sure the tank probably ruptured at that speed, but it wouldn't even have been necessary for the car to burst into flames, there was gas and oil all over the place, and cars are pretty flammable things generally.

Once the plastics got burning it was the end of it, they are kinda difficult to put out once they get going,they burn pretty readily, and hot...

This whole accident isn't so unusual, at the speed he was traveling according to what the pizza shop camera showed, hitting a stationary object probably would cause it to burst into flames in most cases, with any car. The fact that it was a newer high end car is irrelevant, newer cars are set up to crumple and absorb shock, not bounce off of obstacles, in order to decelerate and protect the occupants.

Hacking the steering, killing the brakes and sticking the throttle on full would have been all one had to do to cause this to happen, and all of the evidence is burned away and nobody is any the wiser. Just a shallow swerve into any stationary object,city streets are full of those.

Or maybe he just screwed up and killed himself, accidentally or intentionally...?

I do find it hard to believe that people who drive as much as people do in this society know so very little about the vehicles they drive, by the way.