Driving While Pokemoning: Upstate NY Man Crashes Into Tree, Totals Car

Photo courtesy of the Auburn Police Department

Auburn, NY — Don't Pokemon while jaywalking. Don't Pokemon while hiking near 100-foot cliffs. Don't Pokemon while cheating on your girlfriend. And please, for the love of all that is decent, don't Pokemon while driving down a rural country road in upstate New York in the dead of night.

Such was allegedly the mistake of one sorry, upstate 20-something — identified by the Smoking Gun as Steven Cary — last Tuesday around 10:45 p.m.

"The driver admitted to actively playing the 'Pokemon Go' game while driving causing him to become distracted," the department said in a statement.

Somehow, while the young man's car emerged from the incident looking like a piece of wadded-up aluminum foil, Cary reportedly came away with only a broken ankle and some cuts on his legs — UNLESS you count the crippling shame that befell him in the hours after, when his mother, Tricia Finn Cary, took to Facebook to scold her grown son.

Via the Smoking Gun:

In a Facebook post, Cary’s mother wrote that her son “will not answer a phone call or text while driving,” but when he saw a “‘special’ Pokémon on his app…He looked down for a minute and woke up in an ambulance.” Noting that she was thankful nobody was in the crumpled passenger seat, Tricia Finn Cary added that her son (seen at left) did not “catch” the Pokémon he spotted, “or if he did he doesn't know because the phone is buried in the twisted plastic and metal that used to be his brother's car!”

To avoid starring in your own sequel to this dark 21st century dramedy, below are a few tips from Auburn Police Chief Shawn I. Butler on how best to verb while Pokemoning.

• Do not use the application when you are operating a motor vehicle or bicycle
• Do not trespass on private property when trying to “catch” a Pokemon
• Be aware of your surroundings when walking and do not stare down at your phone not knowing hazards around you, like roadways, dropoffs, waterways, etc.
• Use caution when sharing your location as strangers can see your location information
• Travel in groups in public/well-lit locations
• Have fun but be smart!