Wired, that’s not a brake line. At least, it’s not for the primary brake system. At best that could potentially be a parking brake cable.
“As he approached a stop sign at an intersection, his car wouldn’t slow down. He ran off the road and into the sign.”
Yeah I think thats stock or more likely ai in this day and age. As for what happened:
“Five days after the NPR story went live, on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, Berulis got in his car to drive to Maryland to make a last-minute visit to his uncle, opting to take local roads instead of the major highway nearby. Within about five minutes of leaving his house, Berulis realized something was wrong. As he approached a stop sign at an intersection, his car wouldn’t slow down. He ran off the road and into the sign. When he examined his car, he found something that terrified him: His brake lines had been cut.”