Former Nebraska heavyweight wrestler AJ Ferrari was arrested and booked in Lincoln County, Nebraska, on Saturday, June 27, 2026, following a high-speed police pursuit.
Authorities charged the former NCAA champion with multiple traffic and evasion offenses after he allegedly fled from law enforcement.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office inmate roster, the official charges include flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, and obstructing the police.
Lincoln County authorities confirmed to KOLN that Ferrari has since been released after posting bond.
The incident began when police spotted the wrestler driving at extreme speeds, according to a report by Cody Mainquist of NE Wrestle.
Mainquist shared details of the pursuit and booking online, stating that Ferrari was picked up in North Platte after speeding down Highway 83 over 120 mph while running from police.
The pursuit ended shortly after when the vehicle veered off the road.
Mainquist reported that Ferrari later crashed his Corvette into a ditch and took off on foot.
Prior to his arrest, the three-time All-American was actively evaluating his options in the transfer portal for the upcoming season.
Ferrari recently discussed his physical condition and ongoing recovery with Jack Bartlett of NTV News.
“I’m coming off surgery, so I’m light right now, I haven’t fully made a decision,” Ferrari said.
He noted that his training focus and conditioning would heavily influence whether he competes at 197 pounds or heavyweight.
“I’d probably say 60%, 70% chance I go 197. 30% chance I go heavyweight, but it just depends, man.
How I’m feeling, how my weight it is. I feel good getting lean, my cardio feels great,” Ferrari said.
He added that when he went up to 245 pounds, his cardio wasn’t where it needed to be, and lifting took away from his wrestling.
“I enjoy wrestling, I enjoy MMA, I enjoy jiu jitsu, I enjoy the conditioning aspect, so most likely 197 if I had to say,” Ferrari said.
Despite previous team dismissals from Oklahoma State and subsequent transfers through Cal State Bakersfield and Nebraska, Ferrari claimed that numerous programs had shown interest in acquiring him.
“There were a lot of schools that reached out, but I’ll be committing in the next couple weeks,” Ferrari said.
He expressed a strong desire to join his brothers, including Anthony, who recently committed to Morgan State, and Angelo, who competes for Iowa.
“Me and my brother, we’re trying to go to the same school.
It’s very hard, but I really do want to go wrestle with my brothers, so we’ll see what happens.
Too early to say, but definitely in the next couple weeks we'll definitely commit,” Ferrari said.
