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A New Jersey State Police trooper had notified them after seeing a blackout curtain descend over the rear license plate of a white Dodge Challenger as it passed through the cashless toll gate at the Holland Tunnel earlier this month, Port Authority Spokesperson Lenis Valens said.
The muscle car had no front plate, she said.
A Port Authority officer spotted the driver -- identified as Mark A. Aponte, 28, of Parlin -- do it again shortly before 8:30 a.m. Friday, March 25, Valens said.
Aponte, a former auto service tech originally from the Bronx, was stopped and seized before he reached the tunnel, she said.
Authority police charged Aponte with theft of services, tampering with public records and possession of burglary tools, Valens said. He was released pending a court hearing on charges of theft of services, tampering with public records and possession of burglar’s tools
Port Authority police over the years have caught several drivers trying to beat the system across the Hudson River.
A trucker who blew through a George Washington Bridge E-ZPass toll without paying in early 2018 had both license plates covered with gray tape, authorities said. SEE: GWB Toll Cheat Had Both License Plates Taped Over
The year before, a Bronx man got out of an Audi sedan on the GWB approach and taped a piece of paper over the plate before getting back in. SEE: Bronx Pair Taped Plate To Duck GWB Toll
In other incidents:
- An Elmwood Park motorcyclist was nabbed with a flip-down license plate in 2016 after he evaded $52 worth of tolls over a certain period of time. SEE: GWB Toll Cheats Owed Over $200K
- An Edison woman had no transponder or license plates on her car -- and an upaid toll ticket for the New Jersey Turnpike on her front seat -- when she blew through a GWB toll in 2015. SEE: No Plates For Driver Stopped On GWB In Fort Lee
- A Louisiana trucker was caught covering his license plates with plastic film in an attempt to avoid the bridge toll in 2014. SEE: Trucker covered plates to avoid GWB toll, Port Authority police charge
- A Washington State trucker smeared grease on both plates of his Freightliner in an attempt to duck the GWB tolls. SEE: Port Authority police say GWB toll evader smeared grease on plates
A Port Authority officer couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched another trucker duct-taping the license plates on his tractor-trailer before rolling through a George Washington Bridge E-ZPass lane in 2012. SEE: Port Authority officer catches tractor-trailer driver duct-taping plates to duck GWB toll
The year before, another trucker was caught at the George with a flip-up front license plate, authorities said.
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