New York City – A Queens truck driver took a move from the magician’s playbook, making his license plate seemingly disappear as he drove through a toll plaza without paying the $40 fee, the Port Authority said Wednesday.
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Orlando Payano’s tractor-trailer had a cable running from the license plate to the dashboard cigarette lighter when PA police stopped it recently on the Staten Island side of the Goethals Bridge, authority spokesman Steve Coleman said.
A tug on the lighter flipped the plate underneath the big rig’s belly – and beyond the range of surveillance cameras used to identify toll-beaters, officials said.
“This is probably the most unusual thing we’ve seen,” Coleman said.
PA police charged Payano, 30, of South Ozone Park, with toll evasion and license plate destruction. The rear license plate was bent, partially concealing its markings, Coleman said.
Reached on the road in Buffalo Wednesday night, Payano said he was mystified by the charges and may retain a lawyer to try to quash them. He insisted his truck has an E-ZPass tag.
“I don’t have any cable or anything,” he said. “It’s not true.” Payano said he didn’t notice that the rear plate on the trailer was bent.
PA Officer Edward Benenati was watching cars and trucks on the New Jersey side of the bridge on Aug. 26, focusing on license plates to detect efforts to conceal their markings, when he saw the plate on Payano’s truck flip upward, Coleman said.
When police pulled the truck over on the Staten Island side, the plate was back in its correct position, Coleman said. Officers then spotted the cable and discovered that the plate was mounted on a spring-activated hinge, enabling it to be maneuvered, he said.
“Kudos for this terrific police officer who was paying attention, was aware and alert. … This was a terrific catch,” PA Police Superintendent Sam Plumeri said.
Investigators haven’t determined if Payano has used the plate trick at other crossings, Coleman said.
Port Authority toll plazas do not have gates that lift after a toll is paid. The authority relies on surveillance cameras and random patrols to catch toll-beaters. The one-way toll for the Goethals Bridge for a five-axle truck is $40.
lets all do it…
40 bucks for a one way trip?!? No wonder he did it?
This guy is a genius!
I’ll call him Bond. James Bond!
I’m having trouble determining who is at fault over here. The PA for gouging people out of $40, or this guy for trying to get out of it.
Now, you can be sure that all Police officers will be on the lookout for copycats…
How can he argue he didnt have it if thepictures tell the story? I assume the cops took the pics when they caught him So he is a bald faced liar besides being a thief.
$40 for a toll??? That’s highway robbery (forgive the pun). Can’t blame the guy for doing it. If he has a business and he has that kind of expense, who do you think ultimately pays for it? The end consumer, guys like you & me. So in the end, we all pay for this rip-off regardless if it comes from the truck driver or our government.
Thats an old trick….
I can`t tell you the new ones…..
Maybe i`ll make news too…..
Lock & Load…
He should get a pass for being so creative.
This is an old trick, one that a friend of mine did for 15 years.
As for the tolls of $40, if the public knew how much businesses are paying, they would be screaming. The average store is paying over 3000 in electric bills monthly, 1000 monthly in insurance, plus other very high bills. Someone who doesn’t have a business cannot fathom these high bills. And then consumers are complaining about the high cost of goods and services.
As to the guy’s motivation – If you think $40 for a toll is a lot, reflect on what truckers, some of who are frum Yidden, pay for fuel: Diesel fuel is running well over $4 gallon, but even at that round number it costs a typical tractor/trailer close $1,200 to fill up . . . and it gets only approx 7 miles/gallon.
way to go
this proves the saying, “yesh chochma b’goyim”.
Anonymous Says:
this proves the saying, “yesh chochma b’goyim
MAYBE HE IS YIDDISHE KOP WHO KNOWS???
Holding accountable those in authority has too long been a failing in our country. Where money collected as in bus fares, tolls, and City/State taxes goes, and into whose pockets is never rarly if ever questioned.
How else could a presidential candidate with so little experience, proven record of little to no accomplishlment that serves the public, and questionable associates, unethical behaviors and friendships as in the case of America and Israel basher Rev. Wright occur?
While it is wrong to use tricks to avoid paying tolls – the question remains where exactly does all that money go and into what hands on its way?
whats the CHOCHMA if he got caught?
This is so lovely, I don’t see one poster here commenting on the genaiva. Everyone here is focusing on what a great “shtick” this is. Thanks everyone for restoring my faith in mankind.
IF HE DID IT FOR 15 YEARS IT IS INDEED CHOCHMA
I DONT THINK ITS CHUCHME
THE PA ARE A BUNCH OF GOILEMS
Now this guy is smart. He should run for public office!
He must be watching too many Movies.
This alone is a good reason to quit Smoking for all the smokers out there.
Remind me please, what does the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey do for us?
Anon 4:21 said:
“Remind me please, what does the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey do for us?”
I’m assuming you’re looking for an answer other than building and maintaining bridges and tunnels?
Seems he just likes his privacy from photographs or to avoid risk of false charges of non-payment with a photo of a plate the only evidence, but actually paid his toll. Do his EZPass records indicate that he regularly pays the $40 fee?
To Logic,
Geneiva is when a bridge called The Verazzano-Narrows crossing charged a 50 cent toll back in the 60’s to fund it’s building, and they continue to charge until today (only now it’s $10.00!!!)
Considering it cost $320 million to build, I think they made their money back by now.
Ah, you guys, anything to avoid paying your fair share when driving, huh?
I am constantly amazed at the level of ignorance displayed on this website.
The reason why i said that this is a good enough reason to quit smoking is (for those young people) The cigerrete lighter (what the cable was atached to) was actually once used to light cigerettes. Unlike today when its just used as an outlit.
All those who don’t want to pay the tolls are welcome to drive their vehicles straight through the water to the other side.
“Diesel fuel is running well over $4 gallon, but even at that round number it costs a typical tractor/trailer close $1,200 to fill up . . . and it gets only approx 7 miles/gallon.”
Barack Obama says all we have to do to fight the high cost of gas is keep our tires properly inflated.
Wish it could be as simple as that empty suit thinks.
If this guy were REALLY smart, he would have done it the way James Bond actually did it in the movie — not just make his real plate disappear, but have an untraceable phony plate rotate down and take its place, with nobody any the wiser.
But I guess you have to drive a $100,000 Aston-Martin DB III sports car to get that option.
Anonymous 8:04 AM- Obama did not say that. Please stop repeating right-wing lies. He said that you could save the amount of fuel from drilling in the Arctic as you’d get from keeping tires properly inflated — to illustrate how silly these drillheads are. Drilling will not get us where we want to be.
Do us a favor and get a clue, please.
tolls are legal extortion, and should be banned. what is our tax money for?