If police are correct, Oscar Sanchez, of Jersey City, has taken hubris to a new level. Sanchez’ black Mercedes Benz was seized after he was pulled over for a missing front license plate. That turned out to the least of the problems.
It turns out that Sanchez has been driving through the EZ Pass tolls without any concern for paying. He racked up $12,000 in unpaid tolls. Over 200 missed toll payments. He was also found to be driving on an expired driver’s license.
He allegedly stored his front plate in his trunk to avoid charges for going into the EZ lane in the Holland Tunnel.
He now faces charges including theft of service, operating a vehicle on a suspended license and not having a front license plate.
I’m always amazed by the extent to which toll collectors think and act as if they are part of law enforcement. Also, I’ve wondered why tolls vary so much from one state to the next, with the PA Turnpike being one of the costliest in that regard.
I think the a case for eliminating toll roads could be made IF federal funding for highways and infrastructure was not held hostage by a congress (i.e. opposite of progress) that uses a political agenda to determine what it will fund or not. Our highway infrastructure is almost 3rd world because the money hasn’t been there to fund the repairs and maintenance needed. When states don’t have the funds to keep the road operating, a private entity takes over the maintenance of the road in exchange for charging tolls (basically a use tax).
Government is supposed to be there to protect the public good. That includes maintaining and improving our infrastructure. Our government (including both federal and state) is so dysfunctional that it encourages the use of “private entities” to do what government should be doing. And, in return for allowing “private entities” to do the government’s job, the government (politicians) collects revenue to use for other things. The governments should also be held to account for how this money is used.
Ralph A. has a point – the tolls should be dedicated to proper maintenance and improvements to the highway. My bet is that the law authorizing the “private entity” (the New Jersey Turnpike Authority) sets the amount of tolls to be paid to the government. There should be accountability for the funds.
But all this is mute. The driver allegedly (by his actions) sought to obtain services without paying for them. He should be held accountable for these actions.
Bill McWilliams and Lars Vegan –
My Mother’s dream was for students to have access to a free college. She did – when she went, there were 2-year FREE Normal Schools for teacher trainng around. Otherwise, the family could not have afforded her education. Just think of the positive economic impact she and her contemporaries had on their students and by extension, their communities!
I am a PROUD Community College graduate and I taught at my CC until retiring recently. I feel that free two-year CC tuition would be one of the BEST investments this country could make!
His attorneys should make them prove everytime he allegedly ran the toll. I got a toll bill once from over a thousand miles and ten states away. It was sent to me…decribing when i ran the toll and with what vehicle. Thing is i rarely leave home and that alleged vehicle was my husbands but not registered to me. When i called to tell them they fished for my personal information. Turns out the muddy plate was actually a car not a truck (so they say)… Yet no explaination how they associated me with the “in error” truck. Many tolls are “privately” run who knows what other kind of activites they attempt.
Gary T, using your standard, there is plenty wrong with the toll system. See my previous post above.
Nothing wrong for charging toll fees, as long as those fees actually go to servicing the road(s), and isn’t ‘general funded’ into the misc state coffers. And as long as those roads are being subsidized by taxes as well.
Use of the roads is a legitimate service, and should be paid for.
LARS VEGAN — For many years, public colleges and universities were tuition-free. What is your objection to
such a policy?
Jay S, for example, in 2012, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority collected $992 million in tolls last year, making it the most profitable toll road in the nation then, according to the toll industry newsletter “Toll Roads News.” The Turnpike’s operating expenses were $378 million and the Authority had a cash flow of $614 million, according to the industry newsletter. See http://nj1015.com/nj-turnpike-most-profitable-toll-road-in-the-us-does-it-pay-to-avoid-it-poll/
However, even these statistics are misleading because what are characterized as “operating expenses” are really a honey pot for the politicians. Those expenses have NEVER been audited by a forensic accountant, and, if you understand politics and finance as I do, you’d know that “operating expenses” include such things as patronage jobs for favored political employees; above market price payments to favored vendors, who in turn, use some of the excess payments they receive to make political contributions to the Establishment politicians; and all sorts of miscellaneous goodies and political sludge.
Good trip planning, and sometimes some patience, and you don’t have to pay tolls. I’ve stopped going to NYC because of the tolls and the men in trucks who tow my auto for hundreds of dollars. If I have a good reason to go I’ll opt for public transportation.
Ralph Adamo –
Can you substantiate that only a small portion of the tolls goes to road upkeep? I’d be curious to see some real figures.
Earn residual cash weekly… It’s an awesome side work for anybody… Best thing about it is that you can do this job from your couch at home and earn 200-2000 bucks each week … Start today and have your first cash by the end of the week…
===== PayAbility.TK
And some people on the blog want free tuition in all community colleges. Jeso. Make those punks pay the tolls to the trolls.
Or move to Arizona. Where London Bridge had fallen down and moved there too. Where John McCain gets voted in and yaks like he is in a zoo.
Toll. Pay for driving down the road. Pay for breathing the air. Pay for farting in church. Oh, you will pay for that one. One way or another. Like when you get your interview with Saint Peter and he asks if you were the guy who farted at Saint Barts during Holy Trinity. To Hell in the handbasket you will go. So don’t fart in church.
In Illinois people without an I-pass pay twice as much for tolls.
I suppose the toll commissioner’s response would be that they have to pay people to take the tolls…and that’s my next complaint. They have one of the toll booths up on the way to Chicago that isn’t staffed at night. I drove my Camaro up to Chicago last year, and I used it at night. I then saw they expected ME to do THEIR job!!
So I called the toll number & explained that I had went through and that they could stop by anytime & get their money. The nice lady explained that I had to send it to them, or the fine would go up. I told her I would be happy to do that, I charge $20 an hour with a minimum of 1 hour. So actually they would owe me money. She couldn’t grasp what I was saying so she put her supervisor on and I went through the whole thing again, explaining that I would be happy to do their work for them, but NOT FOR FREE!
The supervisor explained that they had no people there at night, so I needed to send in the money. I inquired if she got paid for helping to collect tolls, she said yes, and I explained that’s all I was asking for. So as far as I could see they had four options, come get their money from me, get someone there to collect tolls, get a automatic machine to collect them, or pay me.
She gave me the number for the Toll supervisor in Springfield, left my name & number, but have never heard from anyone again.
Twice as much for no Ipass, and THEN expect people without one to do their work for them?!? Grr
The media loves stories like this. They are reminders of the harsh punishments for those who try to avoid paying the freeway tax. And make no mistake about it. A toll is just another tax on the hoi polloi, but a very important one to the Establishment. You see, a very, very tiny fraction of the proceeds that states collect from “tolls” actually go to repair or maintain freeways and bridges. The bulk of the money funds the political system of corruption. So, whenever you pay a “toll” you are really handing over your money to fund political campaigns, make graft payoffs, and to maintain the lifestyles of corrupt politicians that people stupidly vote for year after year.
Toll roads are mean for trolls. Those who toll are meant to dig holes. Those who live in toll road states need front license plates. Those who can: do. Those who can’t do: teach. Those who can’t teach: work toll roads.
But all that aside. We need a Wall. A Wall to keep out Mexicans driving Mercedes Benz cars without front license plates through our Easy Zone lanes. And if there is an easy zone lane there is going to be a Charlie Lane. Little David Susskind: shut up!
Arizona got rid of front plates as a cost saving measure. Am I breaking the law in Jersey City? Personally, I can see his point. I am against EZPass just on principal. I am against toll roads and bridges. For some reason they never stop the toll.
One question, what’s his immigration status?
Not guilty. Victimless crimes. Core Democratic demographic. He’ll skate, unless he registers as a Republican.