KJ Jacobs, a traffic anchor and meteorologist for Cincinnati's ABC affiliate WCPO 9, nearly dropped an on-air profanity after witnessing a two-car collision unfold right behind him in real time on a live studio highway feed.
Live Crash Caught on Camera
During his regular morning traffic segment on Thursday, August 6, Jacobs was pointing out a stalled white SUV that was stopped with its hazards blinking in the middle lane of Interstate 71 northbound near Gilbert Avenue. Just as he explained that traffic was slowing down around the vehicle, another car coming off an on-ramp slammed directly into the back of the stationary SUV at full speed.
Caught completely off guard by the violent impact, Jacobs broke his polished news persona and shouted, "Oh shi..!" - before instinctively slapping his hand over his mouth to catch himself mid-curse. He then quickly pulled himself together, gave an awkward smile and apologised to viewers, saying: "Oh, I'm so sorry."
Reporter's Reaction Goes Viral
Jacobs later uploaded the clip to his Instagram account (@kjjacobs21), captioning it: "A natural reaction on LIVE TV, but I'm so glad I hit the brakes just in time!" The video quickly racked up millions of views and thousands of comments, with viewers praising his split-second "save" and his very relatable human reaction.
In the comments section, Jacobs said he was "stunned by the reaction" as his traffic segment suddenly started getting far more views than usual. "Thank you to everyone who has watched, liked, commented, shared, and followed," he wrote. "The encouragement from friends, family, longtime viewers, and so many new faces has been overwhelming in the best way." He added: "I never imagined the oops moment would reach so many people across the country."
Career First and Aftermath
Jacobs also noted it was a career first - saying that in more than 12 years working in television news, he had never once caught an active vehicle accident happening live while he was reporting on it. Cincinnati police confirmed two people inside the stalled vehicle were treated for minor, non-life-threatening injuries, People reported. The driver of the merging vehicle was reportedly uninjured, but was cited for the crash.
