Florida man says a hole he stepped in while his Tesla charged ‘ripped my shoes off,’ and his weren’t the only pair it took

Waiting for an electric car to charge can leave drivers with time to kill, and one Florida man says he spent that time climbing out of a sinkhole. Joshua, who goes by ruizjosh1 on TikTok, said he found himself in a sinkhole that swallowed his shoes while he waited for his Tesla to charge, according to The Nerd Stash.

The incident began when Joshua left his vehicle to charge and walked to a nearby gas station for a drink. Instead of walking the long way around on the street, he says he figured he would just cut across a patch of grass. Then the ground gave way, and he reportedly plunged into a hidden sinkhole.

He says he ended up submerged in what he estimated was three feet of water. He started filming the aftermath to document the mess he found himself in. The fall itself does not appear in the clip, as he only began recording once he was out.

That sinkhole has apparently been eating shoes for a while

He was understandably upset. He explained the ordeal to his viewers while showing off his muddy legs, which appeared to be covered in grime up to his thighs. “I took some steps in and completely fell into it,” Joshua said. As he tried to get out, he said, “It ripped my shoes off.” 

The experience was apparently even worse than just getting wet, as the sinkhole apparently claimed his footwear. He said the shoes were ripped off his feet when he tried to get up, and that they were still stuck down there when he started recording.

It turns out Joshua wasn’t the only person to fall for the grassy trap. When he looked closer at the hole he had just crawled out of, he realized he was looking at a graveyard for footwear. Other shoes were scattered throughout the area, suggesting others may have tried the same shortcut and failed just as miserably. However, it is unclear how long the sinkhole has been there or how many people have fallen in.

The hole may not technically be a sinkhole. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, broken sewer pipes and poorly compacted soil can create depressions that mimic sinkholes. The agency said many of these are never confirmed by a licensed geologist or engineer and are instead classed as subsidence incidents. 

Several viewers asked why no warning sign marked the spot. Not every viewer took the situation seriously, and many had fun at his expense. One joked that the hole was “That there is some croc infested florida water alright,” an apparent nod to the rubber clogs, while another called the abandoned footwear “look at all them Florida Crocs.”

The video is the latest odd Florida story to catch on, after another creator drew millions of views by claiming a tree was creeping closer to his home. Charging stops have also sparked viral videos, including a Texas student’s unsettling encounter at a Tesla charger.