toll evasion ticket

Go back and review EZ-Pass rules. Did you go through an EZ-Pass ONLY lane or one where you could have paid cash OR used EZ-Pass. If you could have paid cash, and your transponder did not register the toll paid (should have said "OK" up in front of you at the toll) then unfortunately you did violate the rules. If however it was an EZ-Pass ONLY lane you are allowed to proceed. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with their crazay rule, just pointing out you may or may not have a case. License plate was up on the grill I'm guessing? That's a violation also, and they can't read it to charge your account. How they interpret that is "officer's discretion" I'm sure and well, you see what direction his attitude was taking your "discussion".

YES, get an attorney, absolutely.

 

I would hire a lawyer in a second. It's a traffic ticket, not a murder and you can prove in a second that your EZ pass was operational. You should have never been treated like that.

 

i don't see his ticket being a moving violation so no dings on the mvr.

hireing a lawyer might be more expensive then just paying the ticket. that won't appear on his mvr. we all know we get stuck with the fine, regardless of the outcome. unless it's lucky enough for a flat out dismissal.

the op didn't get arrested, so no criminal record to expunge. i'd just pay the thing. i don't see the ticket as being any worse then a parking ticket.

your best advice would be to call roadlaw though. we're not lawyers, they are. and the phone call is free.

 

It's not about the ticket or paying it. There's no reason the Port Authority treated him the way they did and honestly I feel it's more of a civil rights issue more than anything else. He was treated like a criminal for a minor traffic violation that wasn't even a violation.

 

For sure this is not the right way for them to go about this. Say even if you did go through a ez-pass or cash lane and YOU were the one who messed up, to handcuff you over a toll is pretty extreme.

You don't look like a white guy, and I don't like waving the race flag around but my guess is that that could've been part of it.

http://www.panynj.gov/inspector-general/police-integrity.cfm at the very least I'd get an internal affairs report rolling and/or give them a call.

In my opinion if that cop just wanted to be a douchebag all he had to do was give you a ticket and say sorry 'bout your luck.

A reasonable cop should've looked at your ez-pass and had you test it in front of him or call ez-pass in front of him or something and then sent you on your way.

 

That happened to me, but I didn't get arrested or stopped. They just tracked me through the licence plate and found out I had an ez pass and put the charge to the ez pass. No tickets or fines. I would read up on the ez pass rules and maybe give them a call. That treatment was uncalled for. If you have his name then report him. Best of luck.

 

Should've put "Handcuffed in the back of patrol car" as the heading…...

Some cops can be jerks……...

 

The Port Authority are some of the worst. I can attest to that.

 

Lawyer up for sure!
There is no reason to be put in cuffs over an unread EZPass, OR license plate violation.

I cross the bridge myself all the time for work(not trucking ) and I have gotten that ticket in the mail, more than once, that I passed through without paying. In fact every time my EZPass device was on the windshield. Matter of fact there was a finding some years back that the port had wrongly fined hundreds of motorist for evading when in fact I believe it was their equipment that was not working properly.

The lawyer fee may be high, but it's worth every penny, just in principle alone! In other words, don't talk to a lawyer, hear the price and decide to go in alone !!!!!