U.S. trucker ducks tolls with James Bond-trick

NEW YORK- A U.S. truck driver accused of using a James Bond-inspired trick to evade tolls on the George Washington Bridge has been charged by police, according to media reports.

Owner-operator Pablo Ortega was approaching a bridge with a $95-toll when he flipped a dashboard switch that tilted the truck’s bumper and attached licence plate, making it unreadable to the EZ-Pass reader.

“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,” said Joseph Pentangelo, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police, which operates the bridge.

Ortega was charged with tampering with public records and possession of burglary tools, but authorities do not know how often he had used the device before getting caught.

The device, Ortega said, cost him about $2,500.

Pentangelo said the device is the most sophisticated one port authorities have seen so far, but that such devices can be legally used to protect bumpers from getting scraped or damaged on construction sites. 

You can watch a video of the bumper device here. 


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