Video shows Maine reporter narrowly escape death as man tries to crush him with car

BANGOR, MAINE: A Maine reporter investigating an addiction treatment center was nearly struck on Thursday, October 1, when a vehicle appeared to accelerate toward him as he filmed outside the facility.

Video released by The Maine Wire shows reporter Joe Sokol suddenly moving out of the vehicle’s path before the car drives away.

Sokol later said police were notified and described the incident as the latest in a series of threats and confrontations connected to his reporting work.

Reporter narrowly escapes tragedy

Sokol was reporting outside the Bangor Comprehensive Treatment Center, when the incident occurred.

Before the vehicle moved toward him, Sokol had been speaking with a man who objected to his presence outside the facility.

The man questioned whether filming people at the location violated their privacy or confidentiality.

Sokol responded that he was standing in a public place and was reporting.

After the man drove off, Sokol continued speaking to his camera, describing him as possibly intoxicated.

Moments later, the vehicle returned or moved toward the area where Sokol was standing.

The reporter abruptly stepped backward as the vehicle passed extremely close to him.

His camera was knocked down during the encounter, but Sokol could still be heard identifying the vehicle by reading out its license plate information.

The Maine Wire subsequently published additional footage, including security-camera video that appeared to show how close the vehicle came to Sokol.

The footage has not, by itself, established the driver's intent, and the circumstances surrounding the vehicle's movement remain subject to investigation.

Sokol told media outlets later that police had been contacted and officers responded to the scene.

He said that a suspect had been identified but that he did not know whether an arrest had been made.

Sokol says incident fits pattern of threats

According to a report by Fox News Digital, Maine Wire reporter Joe Sokol claimed that the event was part of a larger pattern of hostility rather than a one-off occurrence.

Sokol revealed that he was already cooperating with law enforcement regarding a death threat that had been sitting with the local district attorney for over a month.

Furthermore, he stated he had been attacked several times in the past, with one prior instance leading to criminal charges that were later dismissed.

Sokol added that his videographer, Adam Stade, had also recently faced a hostile encounter with a group of individuals in the city.