I hear what you are saying, and as an avid off roader I thought the same thing. Theres no way that trail would have broke my jeep. It's rated as a green dot, or easy trail.
But the truth is axles break (and I have seen them break in circumstances that I didn't think would cause them to break) when binding occurs. Going from a patch of snow thats slippery to dirt where traction suddenly grabs.... as an example. if an inexperienced driver was using to much throttle, it's real easy to see breakage occur. (Theres a reason they call it rock crawling!!) All they need to do is bind at the wrong time and the metal will give. I can actually totally believe he was using to much throttle, caught traction and SNAP!
Also, Nissan Titans seem to be known for having a weak front end. Google Titan broken axle and you can see what I mean.
I still dont get why he lit it on fire though, and supposedly left weapons and his cold gear in it. Doesn't make sense to me....
Sorry one question... newb here... what does BBM mean? I see it alot in posts and have no clue what it means other than Black Berry Messenger... LOL I am a geek... I admit it.