Sean Casey

Sean Cameron Casey (born December 28, 1967) is an American IMAX filmmaker and storm chaser who appeared in the Discovery Channel reality television series Storm Chasers and the 2005 National Geographic film Tornado Intercept. Casey created an IMAX film called Tornado Alley about chasing tornadoes and had to build the Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) and the Tornado Intercept Vehicle 2 (TIV2) to film inside a tornado. Tornado Alley was released worldwide on March 18, 2011. Casey has been named one of the 50 best minds of 2008 by Discover Magazine. Currently Sean is spearheading a program called "Plants For Schools" in which landscapes on Title 1 elementary school campuses are transformed into educational exhibits of conservation.

Casey was arrested on charges of Public Disorder in May 2020 and was out after a few weeks. He had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Stress-induced Trauma (most probably because of constant chasing of storms) that made him suffer from various Manic Episodes, his most notable episode was in 2020 where he had lost control and began to blame his life for the mishaps that happened (His divorce and debt).

Casey appeared in a 2010 episode of Mythbusters, alongside Reed Timmer, where they showcased the performance of their storm chasing vehicles (Dominator 1, and TIV) against artificial EF5-level tornado winds using a retired Boeing 747.

Tornado Intercept Vehicles

Casey built two mobile armored trucks called Tornado Intercept Vehicles (TIV1 and TIV2) to film very near to from inside the tornadoes he chases, sometimes with atmospheric scientist Joshua Wurman's Center for Severe Weather Research and the Doppler on Wheels radar trucks (DOW 2-DOW 7). He also made the Subanator (also known as Suba-TIV) from a modified 4th generation 2010 Subaru Outback. and the aqua TIV

Construction began on the TIV in 2003 and cost over $80,000. Sean began the concept of the TIV after having to use rented minivans to storm chase, and being unable to get up close to a tornado. The windows are bullet resistant polycarbonate at thick. The Tornado Intercept Vehicles have a 7.3-liter Ford Power Stroke turbo diesel under the hood, and the top speed is . The TIV weighs in at and holds of fuel. Construction began on TIV 2 in September 2007 with help from Great Plains Technology Center in Lawton, Oklahoma after Sean realized he needed to upgrade his vehicle.

TIV 2 weighs in at and is a 4-wheel drive, 3 axle vehicle. It stands taller than the original TIV and is capable of going on mud and unpaved roads without the fear of getting stuck. The original TIV has 2-wheel drive and extremely low ground clearance that would cause it to get stuck on unpaved roads. It is powered by a 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel engine, modified with propane and water injection, to produce 625 horsepower. This gives TIV 2 an estimated top speed of over . Fuel capacity is in a custom fuel tank, giving TIV 2 an approximate range over . The body of TIV 2 is constructed of a 1/8-inch steel skin welded over a square tubing steel frame. The windows in TIV2 are all bullet resistant 1 5/8 inch interlayered polycarbonate sheets and tempered glass. TIV 2 also features an IMAX filming turret similar to the one on the original TIV. The original TIV's somewhat cumbersome hydraulic claws were not used on TIV2 in favor of four hydraulic skirts that drop down to deflect wind over the TIV to stabilize it and protect the underside from debris plus two stakes that extend down . The stakes were so effective that after the first use, TIV 2 could not retract the stakes, and they had to be dug out by hand.

As for the Subanator, he made it in 2023. Sean was spotted numerous times storm chasing during the 2023-2024 tornado season with his Subanator. Finally, on February 13, 2025, Sean sold the Subanator to a storm chaser named Chad Crilley.