Joyrider

The driver's Sentinel XS along with his corpse. Note that his appearance is randomized.

“

Keep your eyes peeled for Joyriders around Los Santos. They may be driving a car Simeon wants!

— GTA Online loading screen description.

While playing Grand Theft Auto Online, some players may occasionally encounter an aggressive man driving in a black vehicle. He can be encountered when the player returns to Free Mode after finishing a Job, driving past the player on the road, or when Simeon requests a vehicle.

He does not appear in the Enhanced version and Expanded & Enhanced version.

Description

Unlike normal NPCs, the driver has special characteristics that make him stand out. One characteristic is that the driver will never try to escape if there is a fight. Another characteristic is that the driver will not hesitate to run over the player, and can engage in a gunfight by sometimes pulling out a Pistol. Another characteristic is that he drives recklessly on roads, weaving in and out of traffic and ramming cars blocking his path. The driver will also have the stereo turned up to high volumes at all times. These actions make the driver noticeable during gameplay.

Similarly to the Cavalcade driven by Lester's Target, the joyrider will be able to be locked onto with the rocket targeting of a Buzzard Attack Chopper or missile targeting of a P-996 LAZER, which is another indication that the character is not a "normal' civilian NPC.

Although his appearance is randomized, his gender is always male.

Vehicles

While the Sentinel XS is the most common car for the NPC to drive, he will sometimes drive other cars as well:

• Patriot
• Dominator
• Tailgater
• Oracle
• Cognoscenti Cabrio
• Monroe
• Feltzer
• Stinger GT
• Entity XF
• Vacca
• Infernus
• Adder
• Surge
• Fusilade
• Habanero
• Serrano
• Gresley
• BeeJay XL
• F620
• FQ2
• Schafter
• Jackal
• Landstalker
• Prairie
• Buccaneer
• Penumbra

The NPC is coded so he will spawn driving a car that is often requested by Simeon Yetarian. He always spawns when the player joins a new session.

Trivia

• Although this NPC drives a wide variety of vehicles, the Sentinel XS is his main favorite vehicle (being driven at least 60-70% of the time, leaving the rest to other vehicles). Also, the Sentinel XS tends to appear often in normal circumstances (i.e. not driving a requested vehicle).
• The loud booming stereo shares the same audio channel as the player's own radio. Re-tuning your car radio to the same channel as the NPC and turning the music volume down will eliminate the bass boost sounds emitting from the NPC vehicle.
• The radio often plays either East Los FM or Lowdown 91.1.