A Local TV Reporter Was Fired For Jumping On Classic Cars During A Live Segment

The Sacramento International Auto Show said the reporter had been fired after the "astonishingly awful" incident.

A California TV reporter said he felt like a kid in a candy store as he hopped onto cars at an auto show — inspiring outrage from classic car lovers who called his behavior shocking and disrespectful.

CBS 13's Good Day Sacramento features reporter Angel Cardenas was fired after an on-air segment in which he jumped on several cars and appeared to hit another with a door, according to the Sacramento International Auto Show. No vehicles were damaged, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Video of the segment posted to the station's Facebook page was quickly deleted after outcry, but thankfully a version narrated by viewer Adam Copeland has since been uploaded — and it's A LOT.

"No one is out here to tell me which car I can't go in, because some of these are off limits, so I'm just going to live on the wild side," Cardenas says in the video before hopping onto the trunk of a vintage yellow Ford Thunderbird. "I feel like a kid in a candy store without the owner, because you can do anything."

Cardenas then opens the driver's side door of a pink 1956 Thunderbird and appears to hit the passenger side door of the Thunderbird parked next to it. ("Leave your name and number!" Copeland's wife can be heard shouting at the TV at this point.)

Cardenas didn't limit his showmanship to classic cars: He was also filmed jumping on the hood of a new hybrid Ford SUV, even after noting a sign said to keep off of displays.

"That didn't sound good," Cardenas says after jumping on the car.

"I would get off that now," a woman responds before a man asks the reporter to get off the vehicle.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the Sacramento International Auto Show said that its producer reached out to the station's general manager to complain about the reporter's "astonishingly awful" behavior during the segment, and was told he had been terminated. The station has also apologized, the auto show said.

A spokesperson for KMAX-TV declined to comment on the incident. Calls and emails to Cardenas were not returned Tuesday.

But one viewer who emailed Cardenas with concerns about the segment shared the reporter's response with BuzzFeed News. In the email, Cardenas admitted the live shot was a "dumb choice," but insisted that the door hitting was a "staged move" and no vehicles were damaged.

The viewer, Hank Gallegos, told BuzzFeed News that car lovers stick together.

"I know most of the hot rodders in the sport. We always look out for each other when away from our cars," he said. "I also know most of the Good Day staff which is troubling to me, that's why I sent the email."

On Facebook, other car fans said they had complained to the station and received apologies in response, along with an acknowledgement that Cardenas's behavior was "disrespectful and unacceptable."

A Good Day Sacramento page with Cardenas's name appears to have been scrubbed of any content. According to his LinkedIn page, he has been contributing to Good Day Sacramento since at least 2012.

UPDATE

This story has been updated with KMAX-TV declining to comment.



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