Car Crashes

11:20 AM PT -- The driver has been identified as Brian Brandt. Brandt has been charged with 2 counts of assault with deadly weapon, as well as destroying property and possession of stolen property valued at $3500 or more - all felonies. His bail is set at $95k.

The famous Bunny Ranch brothel, from HBO's 'Cathouse,' had a brush with death when a guy slammed a semitruck right through the front door ... in full view of surveillance cams.

The scary incident went down around 4 AM Thursday, and the video shows the 18-wheeler first slam through the front gate at full speed ... then plow through the Ranch's front door.

Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof tells us the man was wearing full body armor, including a mask and helmet. It's unknown why he targeted the brothel. Hof says he doesn't recognize the guy as a previous customer.

The Lyon County Sheriff's Dept tells us the driver is in custody, and they believe he's a disgruntled employee of the trucking company. Although the brothel was open at the time ... no one inside was hurt.

Even with the massive hole ... the Ranch will be wide open for biz. Hof says they'll serve free drinks for the inconvenience.

Cops are still searching the truck, which Hof says is full of Amazon packages. Looks like some Prime customers are gonna be pissed ... along with some hookers.

Ezekiel Elliott was in a car accident early Monday morning ... and sustained a minor head injury after the vehicle he was riding in was rear-ended in the Dallas area ... TMZ Sports has learned.

After hitting up a charity event thrown by Tony Romo and Clutch bar Sunday night, sources tell us Zeke was the passenger in a car that was rear-ended by another vehicle ... 'causing the Cowboys star to hit his head.

We're told the car was "rear-ended pretty bad."

The Cowboys confirmed the accident ... and said Elliott -- who missed OTAs all week -- was being held from practice strictly as a precaution.

Motorcycle racing champ Nicky Hayden is dead at 35 years old ... days after being struck by a car in Italy while riding a bicycle.

Hayden was cycling along the Rimini coast in Italy last Wednesday when he was hit by a vehicle ... sustaining multiple traumatic injuries, including a serious head injury.

N.H. was in the intensive care unit of an Italian hospital ... before succumbing to his injuries.

Hayden -- the 2006 MotoGP champion -- was one of the best motorcycle racers in the world. He rode for the Honda Red Bull team, and was in Italy for a race.

Janet Jackson's ex-husband #1 slammed his car into an oncoming vehicle and managed to make matters worse when he bolted from the scene ... and TMZ has the footage.

The incident went down April 24 on an L.A. street and the victim's dash cam was rolling -- capturing James DeBarge driving a Mercedes station wagon, trying to cut across traffic when he collided with her Chevy Volt.

The woman hired attorney Michael Parker, who says she's hit a dead end trying to get James to pay for the $6k in damages. No one's been able to locate him.

Mike says they did a little digging and it appeared James had no insurance ... so she'll probably have to tap into her uninsured motorist.

We tried reaching out to James, but we had no luck either.

12:25 PM PT -- We're told the alligator has died. RIP.

This poor alligator never saw it coming -- a motorcyclist mowed over the nearly 11-foot gator on a Florida highway and it's now listed in critical condition.

The incident went down just after midnight Friday in Wimauma, FLA when a 27-year-old man driving his Suzuki GSX-S collided with a gator crossing the highway. The guy flew off the bike and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. The gator was missing chunks of body parts.

The man's expected to make a full recovery. As for the gator, though, boots and belts are in its future.

Surveillance cameras caught the moment Richard Rojas plowed down more than 20 people in Times Square Thursday ... and the scene is gruesome.

You can see Rojas coming at full speed in the wrong direction before he literally mows down a huge crowd of civilians. As we reported, Rojas was taken into custody by police after he jumped out of the vehicle and tried fleeing the scene.

22 people were injured and an 18-year-old woman was killed.

Richard Rojas, the 26-year-old driver in custody for slamming into Times Square and killing one pedestrian ... had an absolutely insane look on his face seconds after the crash.

We obtained these pics taken just as Rojas had jumped out of his Honda sedan. He seems to be attempting to run away from the death and destruction behind him. You can also see the horror on the faces of his victims ... some of them clinging to young children.

Rojas didn't get far. NYPD officers, as well as civilians, immediately chased him down and nabbed him.

Law enforcement sources tell us Rojas admitted smoking marijuana Thursday morning before he got behind the wheel. Police say he drove the wrong way on 7th Ave for a few blocks before swerving onto the sidewalk at 42nd street and accelerating through the crowd for 3 blocks.

Cops say Rojas has previous arrests for DWI, one in 2008 and one in 2013. His most recent arrest was earlier this year for menacing.

NYPD confirmed the victim who died on scene was an 18-year-old girl, and at least 22 others were injured.

At least 1 person was killed when a car slammed into Times Square pedestrians.

The Honda sedan went up on a sidewalk on 7th Ave between 42nd and 43rd street -- hitting multiple pedestrians. Up to 20 people might be injured and first responders are treating victims on the scene. The fatality is a teenager ... according to law enforcement.

Our law enforcement sources confirm the suspect is Richard Rojas, a 26-year-old from the Bronx.

Chris Soules might have just saved himself from showing his face in court for a while -- he entered a plea of not guilty on paper, instead of in person.

Chris filed a written plea Tuesday, waiving his right to an arraignment in open court. He pleaded not guilty to one charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.

Chris was arrested in Iowa last month after he left the scene of the fatal crash with a farm tractor. Prosecutors say he bought booze before the crash.

Interesting delay tactic, but one way or another Soules WILL eventually have to show up in court.

David Hasselhoff's daughter, Hayley, was arrested for DUI in L.A. over the weekend after cops say she passed out behind the wheel of her Mercedes while driving on the freeway.

According to the police report obtained by TMZ, the 24-year-old 'Sharknado' actress was driving her white Mercedes Benz on the 101 freeway around 4 AM when the car came to a stop on the Fallbrook off-ramp.

Witnesses called 911 ... and when officers arrived they found Hayley passed out in the driver's seat with her foot on the brake.

Responders were able to wake Hayley and got her to roll down the window. Officials quickly got control of the car and got Hayley out of the vehicle.

Cops say Hayley reeked of booze and bombed a field sobriety test. She was arrested for DUI and was taken to a nearby hospital to be evaluated.

Once she was medically cleared, she was taken to a nearby jail where she was booked.

Hayley is an actress and model. She was a cast member on the ABC Family show "Huge" and appeared in "Sharknado: The 4th Awakens."

Ex-NFL wide receiver Michael Jackson -- who led the NFL in receiving TDs in '96 -- was killed in a motorcycle accident Friday morning in Louisiana ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Louisiana State Police confirm Jackson was in an accident in Tangipahoa, LA while riding his motorcycle in the early morning. He was 48.

Officials say Jackson was driving a '13 Kawasaki on US 51 around 1 AM at a "high rate of speed" when a 20-year-old woman backed out of a parking spot and into both lanes of the highway.

The motorcycle crashed into the driver's side door of the car -- and the impact was so violent, the bike smashed through the door and killed the driver of the car.

Officials are investigating the crash.

Jackson played in the NFL from '91 to '99 for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. He exploded in '96 when he finished 6th in the league in receiving yards, behind guys like Isaac Bruce, Herman Moore and Jerry Rice.

He was also college teammates with Brett Favre at the University of Southern Mississippi.

After injuries cut his career short, Jackson turned to politics and became the mayor of Tangipahoa in 2009. He served until 2013.

ESPN legend Chris Berman and his family say they're "overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and sympathy" they've received in the wake of Kathy Berman's death.

The sports world is rallying around Chris Berman after news broke that his wife died in a car wreck ... with huge stars sending their condolences and messages of support to the ESPN legend.

Russell Wilson -- "Truly sad to hear Mrs. Kathy Berman is no longer with us. Praying for you Chris as I know you always told me she was your rock."

WWE legend Jim Ross -- "So unfortunate for the #ChrisBerman family. My sincere condolences. #KnowTheFeeling"

Buffalo Bills -- "Chris Berman has been a friend of the Buffalo Bills for many years and we are all heartbroken to learn of the passing of his wife, Kathy. We will circle the wagons for Boomer and his family."

Chris Long -- "Prayers with Chris Berman over the loss of his wife. Unimaginable."

Justin Tuck -- "Prayers to Chris Berman and his family!!"

Rob Dibble -- "Thoughts and Prayers to Chris Berman and his family, his wife Kathy passed away yesterday. RIP"

Hunter Strickland -- "Thoughts and prayers for Chris Berman and his family. Deeply saddened to hear this news."

Dick Vitale -- "Like many of u I am Heartbrokrn over the news of the tragic passing of Kathy Berman / Prayers go out to Chris & his family May she RIP"

Jamal Anderson -- "Thinking of Chris Berman and his family. Rest in peace, Kathy. Awful news."

The wife of ESPN legend Chris Berman was killed in a bad crash in Connecticut on Tuesday ... when her car slammed into another vehicle, killing both drivers.

According to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports, 67-year-old Katherine Berman was driving her 2003 Lexus around 2:15 PM when she slammed into the back of a Ford Escape.

Officials say Katherine's car veered off the roadway and overturned into a small body of water, as seen in a photo from the scene, obtained by NBC Connecticut.

The other car collided with a utility pole and landed on its roof.

The driver of the other car -- an 87-year-old man -- was transported to a nearby hospital but did not survive.

In a photo of the crash scene obtained by WTNH, you can see the other driver's car (behind the red Ford) was completely totaled.

Chris and Katherine have been married since 1983 and have 2 kids together.

Chris was reportedly at the Giants vs. Mets game at Citi Field when he was notified of the crash by NYPD officers.

ESPN President John Skipper issued a statement saying, "This is a devastating tragedy and difficult to comprehend."

"Chris is beloved by all his ESPN colleagues and for good reason: he has a huge heart and has given so much to so many over the years. We know how much his family means to him and all we can do at a moment like this is give him the love and support he will surely need at this hour."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris, Meredith, Doug and the entire family."

Pacman Jones went off on the 911 operator he called for help after his car crash in Ohio early Tuesday morning ... and was especially upset when she questioned if he REALLY drove a Rolls-Royce.

In Pacman's defense, the operator jumped on him for not being more descriptive about the location of the car wreck and raised her voice at him. He didn't like that.

Pacman fired back, "Can you stop f**king yelling on the phone!?"

"I just got into a wreck. I'm kinda shook up. I'm trying to find where the f*ck I'm at. Good God Almighty."

Oh, and stay tuned at the end of the call when Pacman turns to someone -- who may be the other driver -- and screams out, "What the f*ck were you looking at?!"

Fortunately, no one was injured in the crash. Pacman says he plans on selling the car.

1:25 PM PT -- We spoke with Jones' agent who tells us the NFL star was very shaken up but "showed great restraint."

He says Jones insists he was t-boned by a guy who blew a stop sign because he was texting while driving.

Pacman Jones WENT OFF after someone hit his Rolls-Royce in Ohio early Tuesday -- saying if it wasn't for his anger management classes he would "smack the sh*t out of a n**ga."

The Cincinnati Bengals star claims he was driving in Amelia, Ohio -- near Cincinnati -- when another car "ran straight into me" ... wrecking the side of Pacman's very expensive whip.

After the wreck, Pacman unleashed an n-word and expletive-laden tirade -- saying, "This n**ga done pulled out and hit me!"

"They talk about anger management at work ... normally I'd smack the shit outta a n**ga who do the sh*t like that. Stupid motherf**ker."

Pacman entered anger management after video surfaced of the NFL star berating and wishing death on a police officer during an arrest at a Cinci hotel earlier this year.

We spoke with police about the car crash -- officials say it was a "minor accident" and Pacman did not get physical with the other driver.