YouTuber Willem Powerfish facing fine, jail time after boat ramp prank | Video

A YouTuber hit with charges after a Ford Falcon sunk in the Tweed River has apologised to fans, as he stares down a mammoth fine or even jail time.

An Aussie YouTube star could cop a fine of up to $1 million or spend seven years in jail after a viral video he filmed led to charges of environmental damage when he sunk a Ford Falcon and a boat trailer in the Tweed River.

Willem Ian Ungermann, 35, better known by his online name Willem Powerfish, has already pleaded guilty to five charges including negligently disposing of waste causing environmental harm in September according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.

The charges stem from a November 2019 video where he repeatedly jackknifes a boat trailer while trying to back it into the water on the Fingal Road boat ramp that leads into the Tweed River.

He eventually backs the trailer and the car into river, where the Falcon sinks.

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Mr Ungermann shortly after reversing into the Tweed River.

The Falcon begins to sink.

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A Hazmat team was called to allegedly clean the fuel that had spilt into the river.

Court documents seen by the Bulletin allege he told police his “gumboot slipped and I accidentally hit the accelerator.”

He’s due to be sentenced on December 21.

Mr Ungermann clambers from sinking Falcon and hops onto the boat.

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On Wednesday he issued an apology to his fans on Facebook and thanked them for supporting him.

“I just want to say I’m sorry, all I have ever wanted to do is give people a laugh and I should have thought about my actions before performing them,” he said.

In recent days he’s been embarking on a “Powerfish Gifts” extravaganza to spread some of the wealth his viral videos and associated merchandise sales have brought in the lead up to Christmas.

Mr Ungermann dropping off items to a Tweed charity.

There was a vanload of toys and cash.

He also donated to a local Indigenous health clinic.

His charity drive has so far included a donation of $10,000 worth of toys and $5000 cash to the You Have A Friend charity that helps homeless people and single parent families in the Tweed region.

He also dropped off $10,000 to the Kalwun Health Service’s Bilinga Clinic, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisation that facilitates access to health care.

Mr Ungermann also bought all the stock at a local butcher, close to $5000 worth, and told families to head down and pick some up for themselves in the lead up to Christmas.