I think the buried lede in this story is that the guy arrested is the same guy Elon Musk has been promoting as evidence the Cybertruck can cross deep open water.

In April of 2025, Musk commented on a video of a Cybertruck moving through shallow water in Lake Grapevine—perhaps one of McDaniel’s previous Wade Mode escapades—writing, “With a little work, it should be able to cross some open water.”

And back in 2022, before the Cybertruck’s release, Musk hyped up the vehicle’s then-unseen Wade Mode features, saying that they’d essentially turn the car into a viable watercraft.

“Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes, and even seas that aren’t too choppy,” Musk wrote.

To say the Cybertruck concept as a whole is underwater is an understatement.

So they arrested Elon’s mule?

When he made it to shore, McDaniel was arrested on multiple charges, including driving a vehicle in a closed section of the park and boating law violations, such as not having a valid boat registration and not having lifejackets on board.

Boat registration. Life jackets. Those are small hurdles, not barriers.

He admitted he’s been doing this exact stunt multiple times and intends to do it again, clearly based on advice of Elon Musk.

Maybe charge him with pollution? Can’t get out of that one. Or here is a better one: try arresting Elon Musk.