Corvette Drivers Lose Mid-Day Street Race in Polk County by Being Arrested

Cover photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo by peterolthof | Flickr

Two men in their Corvettes have lost their mid-day street race after being arrested by Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) detectives who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
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According to a release from PCSO, on Friday, January 3, 2025, around 11:12 am, two PCSO detectives were stopped at the intersection of Church Avenue and Virginia Street in Mulberry when they noticed two Corvettes in front of them, side-by-side and revving their engines.

As the light turned green, the two sports vehicles swiftly accelerated to over 100 mph, weaving in and out of traffic in an attempt to best the other. Detectives were quick to pursue and conduct a traffic stop of both drivers.

Driving a silver 2005 Corvette was 62-year-old Lakeland resident, James Rivera.

Booking photo of James Rivera, 62, of Lakeland, Florida following street racing arrest. Photo by Polk County Sheriff's Office | Booking Records

His opponent, 30-year-old Alexander Snider of Bartow, was behind the wheel of a burgundy 2007 Corvette.

Booking photo of 30-year-old Alexander Snider of Bartow, Florida following street racing arrest. Photo by Polk County Sheriff's Office | Booking Records

Detectives state that both Rivera and Snider denied that they were racing, and were overall uncooperative with the responding officers. Despite their denials, both men were arrested and taken to the Polk County Jail, where they were each charged with racing (M1).
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Booking records show that both Snider and Rivera have been released from custody after paying their respective $1,000 bonds. Both await court trials for their received charges. As of publication, the court dates have yet to be set.

Article by Rachael Volpe