A TRUCKER accused of using a James Bond-style retractable bumper to evade a $95 (R1 107) toll on the George Washington Bridge had been charged with using burglary tools, police said last week.
Hauling a load of candy across the bridge towards New York City, Pablo Ortega flipped a switch on his dashboard as he approached the toll gates over the Hudson River. That had engaged a device that tilted up the truck’s bumper and licence plate, Joseph Pentangelo, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police, said.
“The officer positioned at the toll booth sees the bumper lift to a 90-degree angle. This makes it unreadable to the EZ-Pass reader,” Pentangelo said, referring to the electronic device that collects the toll from vehicles at the bridge entrance at Fort Lee, New Jersey.
The Port Authority charges a $95 toll for an 18-wheeler crossing the Hudson into upper Manhattan.
Authorities also found the rear licence plate of the red 1997 Peterbilt tractor-trailer was obscured with grease and unreadable.
Ortega, 45, of the New York borough of Queens is the owner-operator of the big rig. He was charged with tampering with public records and possession of burglary tools.
It was not known how many times he had used the device.
Pentangelo noted that its legal use was to protect bumpers from getting scraped at construction sites and other places with an uneven pavement. – Reuters