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Sep 4, 2008 10:00 pm US/Eastern
Trucker Busted With 'Disappearing' License Plate
Port Authority Police Put Breaks On Rig With Cable Attached To Plate, Controlled By Cigarette Lighter
James Bond Maneuver Used To Skip Out On $40 Toll
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J. police recently busted a trucker with a "disappearing" license plate.
CBS
A big rig rigged-up to beat tolls?
It was an ingenious and illegal scam that was done by pulling some strings -- or at least a cable.
To keep drivers honest, vehicles using E-ZPass have their license plates photographed as they go through bridges and tunnels.
Port Authority police say truck driver Orlando Payano hoped to avoid the $40 fee and the photo by fiddling with his plates.
A sharp-eyed Port Authority police officer driving over the Goethals Bridge was driving next to a truck and noticed a couple of peculiar things.
First, he noticed the front license plate had a cable attached it. Then, he noticed the rear plate was partially folded over. Then he got in front of the truck as it went through the toll.
"With an unobstructed view through the rear window, I observed the tractor plate fold up under the bumper. Extremely unusual, yes," Officer Edward Benenati said.
The front plate was on a hinged backing, and a cable was attached to the cigarette lighter. The owner, whose address is here in Queens, was not at home. But he told police he was unaware of the cable rigging.
"To do a James Bond hiding thing, it's a theft in progress," Port Authority Assistant Chief Robert Sbarra said.
In fact, police caught a car carrier from Illinois allegedly doing the same thing. Now you see it, now you don't.
At a heavy truck repair shop in queens, mechanic Aubrey Bacchus told CBS 2 HD he could do it by putting a plate on a hinge, and drilling a hole through the firewall straight to the socket for the lighter.
"So all you got to do is one cable to pull and plate is up. Easy job," Bacchus said.
With license plates becoming puppets on a string, the Port Authority Police will be watching vehicles at all six bridge and tunnels.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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