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Police Release Body Cam Footage of Ex-Met Lenny Dykstra's Arrest in Uber Fracas

Dykstra addressed the arrest at a news briefing last Friday, saying he was the one in fear for his life

What to Know

  • Lenny Dykstra was arrested in May outside Linden police headquarters after allegedly threatening an Uber driver
  • Cops said an Uber driver told them the ex-ball star put a gun to his head when the driver declined his request to go somewhere else
  • Newly released police body cam footage shows both Dykstra and the Uber driver were on edge

Newly released police body cam footage of former Mets player Lenny Dykstra's arrest last month during a dispute with an Uber driver in New Jersey shows both men were on edge. 

Dykstra was arrested in late May after authorities said an Uber driver told them the three-time All Star put a gun to his head when the driver declined his request to go somewhere other than his original destination.

The driver, who told of an expletive-laden tirade that involved threats to "blow off" his head, stopped outside police headquarters in Linden, New Jersey, and ran out of the car.

Police body cam footage shows the driver telling officers, "As I was driving, he pulled a bag out of a black case in the back seat, told me he was gonna shoot me and put it to the back of my head. So I hit the brakes, he flew forward and I pulled into you guys. He kept dialing 911, telling everybody I was kidnapping him." 

But Dykstra is heard telling a different version to police -- that the driver locked the doors and tried to kidnap him. 

"He's driving over 100 miles an hour, I said, 'Pull over, let me out of this car,'" Dykstra told police. "He almost killed me driving." 

The driver countered, "He took this bag right here, and it sounded like it had medication and stuff in it, too, when he put it to the back of my neck." 

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"He's in fear of me?" said Dykstra. "I'm in fear of him. Dude, the guy's nuts." 

Dykstra, 55, was taken into custody at the scene. Police said they found cocaine, MDMA and marijuana among his belongings but didn't find a weapon.

Dykstra, perhaps now best known for a series of bizarre and troubled incidents over the years, addressed the arrest at a news briefing last Friday, saying he was the one in fear for his life. 

"They don't call me Nails because I'm soft," Dykstra told reporters who crowded on a Second Avenue street corner. "I called 911 because I was in fear for my life. I said this man is crazy. He's kidnapped me!"

Dykstra has filed a complaint against the driver for unlawful imprisonment, but so far the police have not charged the driver with a crime. 

The baseball star faced a swarm of social media comments -- some critical, others supportive after news broke of his latest arrest. At the time, he handled it in classic Dykstra fashion -- with lyrics from Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Kelly Clarkson.

"But I keep cruising, can't stop, won't stop moving. It's like I got this music in my mind, sayin' gonna be alright," Dykstra tweeted, referencing the Swift hit "Shake It Off."

Dykstra played 12 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets and won a World Series in 1986 with the Mets. He was named to the National League All-Star team three times.

Dykstra's life after baseball has been troubled. He has served prison time after pleading guilty to crimes including bankruptcy fraud, grand theft auto and money laundering, and he declared bankruptcy in 2009, claiming he owed more than $31 million and had only $50,000 in assets.

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