On February 21, 2025, the Albuquerque Police Department released an excerpt of body camera footage from an investigation into a crash scene in which recently retired UFC heavyweight champion John Jones was accused of fleeing the scene and later making threatening remarks to a police safety aide over the phone.
Police Seal Bodycam Evidence: Footage of John Jones’ crash scene can be viewed online
In the incident, officers responded to a collision between two vehicles and found a severely drunk, partially undressed woman sitting in the passenger seat of one of the cars. The woman told police that Jones drove off the scene on foot after he consumed alcohol and psilocybin mushrooms at Jones’ residence earlier that night.
Police report said that after the crash, the woman called to John Jones, and the police aide spoke to a man believed to be John Jones. The man appears to be extremely intoxicated and is said to have been interpreted as threatening the use of lethal force through a third party against his aide. Videos can listen to this call.
In response, a backup was called and the police officer spoke to the individual. The man did not directly confirm his identity as Jones during the phone call. Jones is charged with misdemeanor for leaving the scene of the accident and is scheduled for a bond suing on July 24, 2025. This legal issue emerged hours after Jones publicly announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.
John Jones has a long history of legal troubles, pleading guilty and receiving a fine and licence suspension after crashing his car into a utility pole from a DUI in 2012. In 2015, he left the scene of a crash that injured a pregnant woman, and was eventually pleaded guilty and sentenced to probation and community service before being charged with felony hit and run in Albuquerque. Over the years, Jones has also faced battery charging, additional DWI incidents, and repeated drug testing failures, resulting in multiple suspensions from the UFC.
In 2019, John Jones faced accusations of slamming and inappropriate touching a cocktail waitress at an Albuquerque strip club, leading to battery charging and a temporary bench warrant after missing a court appearance.
In September 2021, Jones was arrested after a domestic incident while staying with Jesse and his children at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Their youngest daughter called to Hotel Security to help, and when police arrived they found Jesse Moses with blood on her face and clothes. She told the officers that she and Jones alleged he pulled her hair, but she denied that he caused her injury or any further physical abuse had occurred. Jones is charged with a misdemeanor household battery and felony tampering with a police vehicle after headbotting a police car.
His lawyer, Christopher Dodd, strongly denied the allegations, stating that Jones also did not exist in the car at the time of the incident. Dodd claims that the drunk woman has crafted the story to avoid DWI’s arrest, and even claims that police are pursuing the case with extraordinary vitality and seeking a warrant for Jones’ cell phone records in what he describes as an unfounded case.
This case marks the latest in a series of legal issues with fighter jets that have previously faced charges related to hit and run cases. As the case moves forward, body camera footage and phone recordings are expected to play a central role.