2 N.J. Residents Nabbed On $30,000 In Toll Violations

FORT LEE, N.J. — Police said they arrested two New Jersey residents, including an Englewood resident, who racked up $30,000 in unpaid tolls.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officers pulled over Englewood resident John Reynolds Wednesday morning after catching him driving through the George Washington Bridge E-ZPass lane, said Joe Pentangelo a Port Authority Police spokesman. Reynolds reportedly pretended that his cellphone was an E-ZPass transponder.

Police said he had about 300 toll violations totaling about $19,000.

"It's bigger than average, but it's not the biggest toll violation we've had," Pentangelo said.

Not even close, it turns out.

A list released by the Port Authority in 2012 showed that Enterprise Rent-A-Car raked up $167,000 in unpaid tolls and $1.7 million in fines.

Another Englewood resident, Jean Davis, ducked out on $21,000 in tolls, leading to $102,000 in fines, the Port Authority said.

The agency caught Marcus Tifa, a truck driver from Queens, cheated the agency out of $28,000 in tolls.

The officers are usually posted at the GWB on patrol and if it indicates a toll wasn't paid an investigation begins once they are pulled over.

The next morning, police caught Lucy Sanchez of North Plainfield driving through the E-ZPass lane without a transponder, Pentangelo said.

Police said she did not have driver's license and had racked up more than $9,000 in unpaid E-ZPass violations.

Reynolds and Sanchez were charged with theft of service and evading tolls.

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Photos: John Reynolds and Lucy Sanchez — Port Authority of New York and New Jersey