Fleeing deputies, drunk man crashes truck, then jumps into ocean, authorities say

After being rescued, he told deputies his chase would make for 'a great story'

DUCK KEY, Fla. ā€“ A drunken man led Monroe County sheriff's deputies on a high-speed chase early Sunday, eventually crashing his pickup truck into the entrance sign for Duck Key and jumping into the ocean, authorities said.Ā 

Deputies on aĀ Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission boat whisked him from the water, but not before the man tried to elude authorities by hiding under a bridge,Ā clinging to a piling, said Adam Linhardt, a spokesman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Department.

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After his rescue, he reportedly told deputies that the morning's events would make for "a great story" to tell his friends and family.

Nicholas Tralka, 31, faces a number ofĀ charges, including driving while under theĀ influence, causing property damage andĀ resisting arrest.

Linhardt said aĀ deputy saw a pickup truck leaveĀ a bar along the Overseas Highway in MarathonĀ at a high rate of speedĀ just before 4 a.m. Before the deputy could attempt a traffic stop, TralkaĀ slammed into a concrete median and kept going, Linhardt said. DeputiesĀ gave chase as TralkaĀ reached speeds of more than 100 mph and swerved erratically across the northbound lanes of the Overseas Highway, LinhardtĀ said.

Deputies deployed tire spikes near mile marker 60.5 to stop the truck, but Tralka kept driving eventually crashing into a light pole and aĀ palm tree and finally rolling into the Duck Key entrance sign, Linhardt said. When the truckĀ finally came to a stop, TralkaĀ bailed out of the vehicle and jumped over a nearby seawall, according to the arrest report.Ā 

Deputies repeatedly called out for TralkaĀ to stop, but he kept swimmingĀ toward Toms Harbor Channel Bridge, where he hid from authorities for about 30Ā minutes, the report said. A fisherman alerted deputies that TralkaĀ was under the bridge, staying afloat by holding onto piling, the report said.

TralkaĀ eventually surrenderedĀ and was pulled aboard the FWC boat by Key Colony Beach police officers, the reportĀ said.

Nickolas Tralka hid under a bridge after crashing his truck, deputies said.

A search of Tralka'sĀ truck found three empty 100 milliliter bottles of Fireball whiskey along with a full one, Linhardt said.

TralkaĀ told deputies that he had been drinking and got scared.

"I f***ed up.Ā I'm sorry," he told deputies, according to the arrest report. Deputies said TralkaĀ would alternate between apologizing and bragging about his high-speed antics, the report said.

Once arrested, TralkaĀ resisted taking aĀ blood alcohol test, saying "I'm already going to jail, so why?" the report said. When deputiesĀ tested Tralka's blood alcohol level, it was .214 -- more than double the legal limit of .08.