CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Celebrity wrestler Hulk Hogan's son was arrested Wednesday on charges stemming from an August street racing crash that left a passenger in his car critically injured, Clearwater police said. Nick Bollea, 17, turned himself in Wednesday on charges of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury, said Clearwater police spokeswoman Elizabeth Daly-Watts. Bollea arrived at the Pinellas County Jail handcuffed and escorted by officers. Clearwater police said he posted $10,000 bond and he was later seen leaving with his famous father and his mother, Linda. Both a spokesman for Hogan's family and his lawyers Morris Weinberg Jr. and Kevin Hayslett issued statements Wednesday, saying the family was saddened that criminal charges have been filed. Clearwater police said the Aug. 26 crash happened when Bollea lost control of his 1998 Toyota Supra while street racing against a silver Dodge Viper driven by a friend. Bollea's passenger, John Graziano, was not wearing a seat belt and was critically injured in the wreck. Bollea, who was wearing a seat belt, was not seriously injured. Graziano, 22, has been deemed incapacitated, according to attorneys representing his father and mother, who are involved in a court dispute over who should care for him. Besides the reckless driving charge, authorities cited Bollea for using a motor vehicle in commission of a felony, being a driver under 21 operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol level of .02 percent or higher and having illegal window tinting. Blood drawn about two hours after the crash showed that Bollea's blood-alcohol content was 0.055 percent. The blood-alcohol level at which Florida law presumes an adult driver to be impaired is .08 percent. A Toyota Supra driven by Nick Bollea was traveling at a high rate of speed at approximately 7:30 p.m., Clearwater Police spokesman Wayne Shelor said. Bollea, which is Hogan's real name, lost control and hit a raised median. The car flipped around, and the back end hit a palm tree.A report said Bollea was driving faster than 60 mp h in a 40 mph zone. Bollea, and his male passenger had to be extracted from the vehicle using the "jaws of life." They were placed on a Medivac helicopter where they were flown seven minutes to nearby Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. Bollea is in serious condition, while his passenger has been listed in critical condition.
Police alerted Hulk Hogan to the accident. According to a hospital source, the wrestler and his family are in a private waiting room as Bollea is being treated for very serious, life-threatening injuries. The crash occurred on State Route 60, a main drag through downtown Clearwater. The road had to be shut down in both directions for several hours, Shelor said. The car reportedly belongs to Nicholas Alan Bollea, also known as Nick Hogan. Bollea appears on the reality TV show "Hogan Knows Best" with his father, mother and sister.
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