It has been approximately a year since federal charges against YouTuber Alex Choi were dropped. Choi was arrested on June 5, 2024, for organising a stunt which consisted of shooting fireworks at a speeding Lamborghini Huracán.
Last year, in early July, the U.S. Attorney’s Office dropped the federal charges against Choi, and the YouTuber did not have to face a trial. A year after the charges against him were dropped, Alex Choi reflected on the case on July 4, 2026, and how he remains patriotic despite the U.S. government taking him to court.
Alex Choi reflects on his federal charges on the 250th Anniversary of USA on July 4
In June 2023, Alex Choi planned and shot a video of a helicopter flying low to the ground while two women inside shot fireworks at a speeding Lamborghini Huracán in California. On July 4, 2023, Choi uploaded the 11-minute video titled Destroying a Lamborghini with Fireworks to his YouTube channel on the occasion of the July 4 holiday.
A year later, Alex Choi was arrested, and then a year later in 2025, charges against him were dropped. It’s been a year since the charges were dismissed, but Choi has not let his past experience with the American legal system affect his patriotism for the country. On July 4, 2026, Choi made a post on Instagram with the caption that began with:
“Even after seeing my name versus the United States of America on a piece of paper, I wouldn’t trade this country for anything else. I love you, America. Happy 250th. 🇺🇸”
After Choi’s 2023 video went viral and brought in a lot of views, it got deleted from his social media platforms due to the involvement of the federal authorities. Investigators revealed that Alex Choi allegedly purchased the fireworks in Nevada because they were illegal in California and did not obtain official filming or aviation permits.
Alex Choi was arrested by federal authorities after conducting an investigation involving the Department of Transportation Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Choi was charged with one count of felony for causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.
On June 6, 2024, Alex Choi made his first appearance in federal court in Los Angeles, where a judge released him on a $50,000 bond. Choi’s arraignment was scheduled for July 2, 2024, where he pleaded not guilty. The case was eventually resolved through a pretrial diversion agreement. After Choi completed the terms of his supervision, U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. permanently dismissed the charges with prejudice.
Choi, however, doesn’t take any of that for granted. Approximately a year after the charges were dropped, and three years after he had uploaded the video that got him arrested, Choi wrote in the Instagram post’s caption,
“Thank you for all the lessons you’ve taught me and for reminding me how dumb I can be sometimes. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to have this case dismissed, and thank you to the prosecutors and federal law enforcement agents for giving me another chance in life-whom, with all due respect, hope I never ever see again.”
Choi has learnt from his mistakes and is grateful to everyone who helped him. The U.S. government taking him to court has not affected his patriotism in the least.
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Edited by Riddhee