Vigilante

StartGet into a police vehicle and press the toggle key shown in the help text
Opens afterIn The Beginning…
Needed for 100%Complete level 12 in a row
Rewards50 times the level number squared in cash for each level, and maximum body armor raised to 150 at level 12

Vigilante puts Tommy in a police vehicle and sends him after criminals who are trying to get away. Each level you chase down the target and eliminate them, and the time you have left carries over as a bonus into the next level. For 100% you must clear twelve levels in a row, which means one mistake sends you back to level 1.

The help text explaining how to toggle Vigilante missions on and off
The Vigilante Mission Level 1 notice on screen

How it works

Find a law enforcement vehicle and press the key from the help text. You are given the criminal’s last known location and a timer, and the dispatcher calls out where the suspect was last seen at the start of each level. A criminal appears in a vehicle marked on the radar and tries to get away. Chase the vehicle down and eliminate the criminal to pass the level. If the vehicle catches fire or is held in place for a couple of seconds, the occupants bail out and run or look for new transport, so be ready to finish them on foot.

Tommy chasing a target through the docks
The Vigilante Mission Level 3 notice during the chase
The Threat eliminated notice with the cash reward
Another Threat eliminated notice at the airport

The 60-second rule and failing

If Tommy stays out of a law enforcement vehicle for more than 60 seconds in one go, the mission ends. The mission also fails if Tommy is Wasted, is Busted, or the timer runs out. If you fail or cancel, the next attempt always starts at level 1, and you cannot pick up a failed run where you left off.

Tommy on foot with the seconds-to-return message on screen
Tommy running back toward a police vehicle after leaving it
A police car with markers beside it after an on-foot chase

Pay per level

Each level pays 50 times the level number squared. Levels 1 to 12 add up to a decent sum, and the game keeps paying at the same rate on later levels if you carry on.

LevelCash
1$50
2$200
3$450
4$800
5$1,250
6$1,800
7$2,450
8$3,200
9$4,050
10$5,000
11$6,050
12$7,200
The Threat eliminated notice showing $4050 for level 9
The Threat eliminated notice showing $6050 for level 11

Vehicles that start it

Any of these starts Vigilante: the Police car, the VCPD Cheetah, the Enforcer, the FBI Rancher, the FBI Washington, the Barracks OL and the Rhino. The Hunter helicopter works too. Started from the Hunter the job is called Brown Thunder, and you use its machine guns and missiles to finish levels faster. The progress counts towards Vigilante, so reaching level 12 in the Hunter means you do not have to repeat it in a land vehicle.

Tommy driving a red car at speed along a street
A police car chasing alongside a red target car

Rewards

Complete level 12 and your maximum body armor rises to 150, half as much again as the usual 100. It is one of the odd jobs required for 100%, so see the 100% checklist for the full list.

The level 12 complete notice with max body armor increased to 150