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Port Authority Police Chief of Operations Emilio Gonzalez was on his way to work Thursday morning when the vehicle came up behind him on the Route 78 approach to the tunnel, the department's Lenis Valens said.
Gonzalez began talking with the driver, identified as Jose Ramos Navarro, 30, of Jersey City, she said.
Navarro at first claimed to be an officer with the Metropolitan Transit Authority, then changed his story, police who work at the tunnel said.
Backups arrived, seized Navarro and recovered a Glock 17 handgun, they said.
Police charged Navarro with impersonating a police officer and illegal weapons possession, issued him a summons for driving an unregistered vehicle and released him pending a hearing. They also impounded the vehicle, Valens said.
Authorities couldn't immediately confirm a published report that Navarro pulled the same stunt on the tunnel approach earlier this month,
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