Traffic & Transit

NJ Father, Son Charged After Drag Race In Lincoln Tunnel (VIDEO)

A high-speed drag race through the Lincoln Tunnel ended in a crash. One of the suspects posted a video of it on Instagram, police said.

A crash took place in the Lincoln Tunnel on Feb. 9, 2019.
A crash took place in the Lincoln Tunnel on Feb. 9, 2019. (Photo: YouTube/CBS New York)

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — The Corvette starts out slow, cruising aside a passenger bus in the right lane of the Lincoln Tunnel. But soon, with a roar of its engine, the car kicks into a higher gear, passing another bus as it gains speed. As the lights of the tunnel whip by in the background, the vehicle grazes a wall, bounces into another car and careens out of control, spinning around several times in the middle of the road.

This eyebrow-raising incident – caught on dashcam video and spread on the internet – was the dangerous result of a high-speed drag race through the Lincoln Tunnel, public safety officials announced Wednesday.

According to the Port Authority, the race took place on Feb. 9 at 10 p.m., and resulted in an accident in the tunnel’s north tube.

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Based on the available information at the time, the Port Authority Police Department issued three summonses in Weehawken to Chadwick Quinones, 25, of Hewitt. After the accident, Quinones fled the scene, but returned about 90 minutes later and admitted that he was involved, police said.

Authorities charged Quinones with leaving the scene of an accident, failure to exhibit registration and careless driving.

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But Quinones didn’t put the incident in the rearview mirror, authorities allege.

After the crash, a video surfaced on Instagram that showed a drag race between two Corvettes through the tunnel on the same day and time of the Feb. 9 incident. The source of the video – Quinones – took the post down after detectives contacted him. However, by that time, other internet users had already reposted it, authorities said.

After conducting an investigation, police filed extra charges against Quinones: reckless endangerment in the first degree, illegal speed contest and reckless driving.

Quinones’s father, Fred Ordine, 44, also of Hewitt, was allegedly driving the other car involved in the drag race. Authorities charged him with reckless endangerment in the first degree, illegal speed contest and reckless driving.

Both Ordines are awaiting arraignment, authorities said Wednesday.

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