'Bath Salts' Drug May Have Fueled Nude Carjacking in Arizona

The now notorious zombie drug bath salts may be to blame in the case of a nude carjacking in Scottsdale, Ariz., that left seven injured, including a pregnant woman who broke both of her legs, media reports said. Regardless of the cause, Friday's events will undoubtedly go down as one of the strangest incidents of carjacking in recent memory.

Scottsdale police have identified John Brigham, 45, as the nude carjacker, according to the report. Brigham was involved in a minor car accident Friday, which he responded to by stripping naked and standing on the roof of a Honda CR-V that was involved in the crash and yelling and chanting, according to Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark.

You can speculate a myriad of causes, including; drug induced, mental health or brain injury just as easy as you can suggest that it was bath salts, Clark said Tuesday, emphasising that the police department had not yet received the results of a toxicology screening on Brigham and that witness statements about drug use were merely speculation at this point.

After spending some time showing off his birthday suit, Brigham reportedly carjacked a blue Toyota Prius a woman was driving nearby, and took off down Shea Blvd. in downtown Scottsdale. Brigham eventually caused a second crash involving five vehicles, according to ABC15, a the website an ABC affiliate, and he was ejected from the car. Brigham then ran around trying to carry out another nude carjacking.

The carjacked Prius rolled multiple times, and when Brigham was ejected, he ran around shouting, The Indians are coming, the Indians are coming, according to The Blaze, a local website.

A police officer observed the suspect still naked trying to carjack two other vehicles, Clark said, according to KABC 15. All told, seven people were injured, including a pregnant woman. Police think Brigham's actions were driven by drugs or mental instability, and one onlooker said he thought Brigham was demonstrating symptoms of using bath salts.

It turns out this isn't the first time that Brigham has wreaked naked destruction. Police responded to a call in November at Brigham's uncle's house and found the man dancing around wearing nothing but a towel, piling junk in the kitchen and creating a cauldron for the arrival of the witch, according to the Phoenix New Times. He also built a hut in the driveway using a pair of dog kennels with a grapefruit with a key stuck in it, a football and hammer stacked on top. When police took Brigham to the city jail, he stripped naked again and began banging and yelling non-stop.

Brigham could be charged with carjacking, robbery and leaving the scene of a hit-and-run accident, according to ABC 15. It wouldn't be surprising if this ultimately included indecent exposure as well. Brigham is currently held at a hospital for mental health evaluation, Phoenix New Times reported.