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Police arrest 'Hellcat' driver caught on Facebook driving nearly 200 mph

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — A 22-year-old North Carolina driver has been charged with street racing and reckless driving after authorities say he reached speeds of 198 mph.

William Jefferson was speeding on U.S. 1 near the Triangle Expressway in Wake County last month, WTVD reported.

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According to the Highway Patrol, somebody sent a seven-minute YouTube clip shared on Facebook as part of a complaint, The News & Observer reported.

"It's one reason why I don't want my kids on the roads late at night," Maryanne McAdams told WTVD. "I don't have a driver yet -- we're about a year away, but it's that kind of stuff that makes me really nervous."

The video shows Jefferson in his Dodge Challenger "Hellcat," allegedly driving nearly 130 mph over the speed limit on U.S. 1, WTVD found. The video also shows Jefferson take the car over 100 mph in a 40 mph zone, police said.

2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. (Photo: Dodge)

"I don't think that road is particularly dangerous but anybody going 198 mph and it's going to be particularly dangerous," McAdams told WTVD. "It's really a miracle that nobody was hurt or killed in that."

Prosecutors have asked for permission to examine Jefferson's cellphone. A search warrant was returned to the Wake County clerk's office Wednesday, The News & Observer reported.

Jefferson is expected back in court in September.