Sergio Oliva Jr., the son of bodybuilding royalty, revealed he was involved in a traffic accident that caused a man to die. On Instagram, Oliva Jr. detailed the scary incident and said he received no criminal charges after serving time in a Dubai jail.
“Look I’m not allowed to speak about the jail conditions,” said Sergio Oliva Jr. “This was the worst experience of my entire life. As bad as it all was, my mind was worse. I was going crazy wanting something to do.”
Having followed in his father’s footsteps, Sergio Oliva Jr. competed during the mid-2000s as a high-level IFBB Pro. Given his father’s three Sandow trophies, expectations of Sergio have always been high. His last competition came in 2021, where he secured third at the Legion Sports Fest Pro, behind Regan Grimes and Shaun Clarida.
Thus far, fans have yet to see Sergio Oliva Jr. test himself on the Mr. Olympia stage. However, in an interview with retired 212 legend, Flex Lewis, he shared his goal of one day becoming champion. With the appropriate measures, Oliva Jr. believes he has the potential to lay claim to bodybuilding’s highest honor.
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All signs pointed to his eventual return until tragedy struck. Oliva Jr. revealed he was recently involved in a car accident that caused a man’s death. He detailed the collision aftermath and what it was like serving time in a Dubai jail.
Sergio Oliva Jr. Recaps Horrific Car Accident that led To Jail Time: ‘Another Truck Ran Him Over’
Following the accident, Sergio said the man had a broken leg and was transported to a local hospital.
“I was driving in traffic very slow – maybe 20 miles under the speed limit. I went to change lanes. The couriers they drive crazy, they drive in and through the cars, anyone can tell you. One was going through, other cars behind me. When I went to change lanes, he wasn’t there, and he came up through in between the cars and he slightly hit the side of my car. He fell off his bike into the street and that would have been it. Maybe some damage on his bike and that’s all it would have been.
Unfortunately, while he was in the street, another truck ran him over. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve never seen anyone lifeless – his body rolling under the car messed me up big time. So, I immediately jumped out into the street. Like one of the busiest, if not the busiest street here in Dubai, even almost getting hit by cars myself but I wanted to rush to the body to try and help him. The ambulance came and they actually said he was okay; he had a broken leg, and they were going to take him to the hospital,” explained Sergio Oliva Jr.
However, later that night or the next day, the man who was hit by Sergio’s car and another truck, died.
“Later that night or the next day he died at the hospital. I don’t know from what, maybe internal bleeding. I honestly have no clue. So, the policy here in Dubai is, if someone dies, they have to thoroughly go through everything, which is actually great.”
To dispel rumors spread by other news outlets, Oliva Jr. mentioned there was no bail bondsman in Dubai and he faced zero criminal charges in the end.
“In the states you would just wait at home while they were going through that, and you have a court case. Here in Dubai, there is no getting bailed out, there’s no bail bondsman. There’s not anything like that. You just have to go to the jail and wait there until your case is presented to the judge and then, you even have to go to court while you’re in jail.”
“They made me not at fault. There was no charges whatsoever. I have no criminal charges at all. I don’t know if the case is public yet or not but when it is, they’ll actually tell you it’s just a traffic violation. I already went to court while I was in jail, they said it’s not a criminal case, just a traffic violation.”
Oliva Jr. Unsure of Bodybuilding Future, “I Can’t Even Think About A Competition”
Sergio Oliva Jr. shared that being incarcerated in Dubai was like an episode of Locked Up Abroad. He added that at the time of the accident, “there was no drug tests, there was no blood tests,” but he was tested for alcohol.
‘If you watch any movies like Locked Up Abroad or Brokedown Palace, that’s exactly how it was. But There was no drug tests, there was no blood tests. I had to blow to see if I was drinking and that was it.”
Fans hoping for Oliva Jr.’s bodybuilding return might have to wait a while longer.
“I absolutely had insurance. Driving in the UAE without car insurance is a huge deal. I wouldn’t be out – I wouldn’t be out for a long time if I was driving without insurance,” specified Oliva Jr. “I can’t even think about a competition and what I’m going to do. I’m kind of messed up from all of this. I’m so sick. I have no idea what I caught while I was in there.”
Additionally, Sergio explained that he had car insurance at the time of the accident. He stressed that if he didn’t have insurance, he would have been held in jail much longer.
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Sergio Oliva Jr. is free and hopes to move on from the frightening ordeal. Given his muscularity, size, and conditioning, fans expected a bodybuilding show from him soon. It remains unclear what his immediate plans are or if he will stay in Dubai to handle the traffic violation.