H2Oi driver 'behavior has been sad,' Ocean City official says

H2Oi might have been officially postponed, but that does not mean the car enthusiasts didn't show up in full force in Ocean City.

The popular but notorious event attracts car lovers, who showcase mostly heavily modified Audis and Volkswagens up and down the resort's Coastal Highway. 

Jessica Waters, communications director for Ocean City, said Saturday it felt like summer with the number of people in town.

But she and the town were unhappy with how the week is going.

IN 2017: Driver hit two officers with car in Ocean City, tried to flee in bay: police

BACKGROUND: Ocean City H2Oi event postponed until 2018

BACKGROUND: Despite H2Oi cancellation, car enthusiasts head to Ocean City

"We were prepared for it," she said. "We knew there would still be a strong attendance. If you have been monitoring social media, most of the participation is very disappointing on many levels. We have been fortunate for the handful of participants who come who enjoy the culture, but generally speaking the behavior has been sad."

Ocean City prepared for the weekend by having allied agencies agencies assist the town, including the Maryland State Police, Maryland Transportation Authority, and the Worcester County, Wicomico County and Queen Anne's County sheriff's offices.

Automotive website Jalopnik called H2Oi "America's Most Ticketed Car Show."

But some car enthusiasts down for the weekend took issue with their perception.

Larry Descipio, 27, of Moscow, Pennsylvania, said the weekend is pretty much just about being around cars.

He said during a big car meet similar to the one in Ocean City this weekend, there will be an influx of cars that he described as "loud and obnoxious."

"You have people that take advantage of the situation and give in to peer pressure," he said. "And they’re the ones doing burnouts and things like that; a lot of people aren’t about that. They come down, hang out with friends, some friends that are from all over the country."

Descipio said the weekend is about finding and building connections in the car world.

H2Oi is not a sanctioned event by the town, and had been postponed this year due to a change in venue.

"After working extraordinarily hard to provide you with the same quality event that you have come to expect, I am saddened to announce that this year's H2Oi will be postponed until next year," the statement from H2Oi organizers reads.

Waters said they expected to see participants come into the town despite the unsanctioned event being canceled. The official H2Oi event is typically held at Fort Whaley Campground in Whaleyville, and the event has continued to grow year after year.

Ocean City welcomes everyone into town, Waters said, but the expectation is that they will follow the rules of the town and respect residents and law enforcement, which, she said, the participants of H2Oi don't do.

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"It’s disappointing to see grown adults play like that, to come in and have zero respect for people who live here," she said. "And for law enforcement, there is no respect for our police department and allied agencies.

"It is disappointing on many levels."

Tourists, too, are disappointed with H2Oi.

"We usually take a trip in the summer, but this is the latest we have ever been, and we will never come back this weekend," said Bobby Maze, 37, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

"We were up all night because of the noise."

According to preliminary statistics provided by the Ocean City Police Department, Thursday saw 231 traffic stops while Friday saw 415. Thursday had one reportable traffic crash while Friday had seven.

Over Thursday and Friday, there were 1,300 calls for service, with 504 coming on Thursday and 796 coming on Friday.

Last year, there were 1,170 calls for service over Thursday and Friday with 119 traffic stops on Thursday and 480 traffic stops on Friday. That Thursday saw no reportable accidents while that Friday had seven.

READ MORE FROM 2016: Police: 'No serious incidents' at H2Oi car show

Jason Poortinga, 26, of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, is another car enthusiast troubled by the perception in Ocean City.

This weekend is about a celebration of cars, he said, and allows drivers from all over the east coast to check out other people's cars.

"You are always going to have those people who do burnouts and try to impress people and a lot of people litter, I don’t understand that," he said. "You have to respect the people who live here. They are here every day, and we are just here four days. So a lot of people should respect the area."

However, not all visiting the town buy that reasoning.

Tom Fox, 52, of Morgantown, West Virginia, sat on the beach along the inlet, where he said he was "exhausted" from being kept up all night with the sound of cars.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "It's too noisy. We haven't slept at all since we got here Wednesday."

He said next year, if his vacation correlates with H2Oi weekend, he and his wife will go somewhere else.

And officials have had their hands full beyond the influx of visitors.

READ MORE: Pedestrian struck by Ocean City police officer on 56th Street

Overnight on Friday, at about 9:30 p.m., a pedestrian was struck by an Ocean City Police officer at the intersection of 56th Street and Coastal Highway, officials said.

The victim was described as a 26-year-old man from Connecticut, according to Lindsay Richard, Ocean City Police spokeswoman.

The man was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center, and was released overnight with minor injuries, Richard said. She added that she could not disclose the victim's name.

"I was told last night that there is no indication that the officer was involved in a pursuit at the time of the collision," she said.

The vehicle involved in the collision was a marked Chevrolet Tahoe operated by a full-time officer. Richard said the officer at the time was turning left from 56th Street onto Coastal Highway.

She added there has been no mention of whether the officer had the car's emergency lights on at the time.

Northbound lanes of Coastal Highway were shut down for about an hour because of the collision, Richard said.

As of Saturday morning, the collision was under investigation by the Ocean City Police Department Traffic Safety Unit, which was gathering witness statements and video.

"We continue to encourage citizens to use extreme caution and expect delays while driving as our roadways are extremely busy this weekend," Richard said. "Burnouts and other reckless driving behaviors are strictly prohibited and violators will face hefty fines."

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