Bensalem Turnpike Drivers Face Felonies Over Tolls (ICYMI)

BENSALEM, PA — Two Bensalem residents are among five southeast Pennsylvanians accused of taking more than 1,700 combined rides on the turnpike without paying — racking up more than $66,000 in unpaid tolls.

Rachel A. Andershonis, 26, of Bensalem, entered the turnpike in her hometown to take 311 unpaid rides between March 20, 2018 and April 23, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's office. She owes $19,522.20 in tolls, prosecutors say.

Antonio R. Green Jr., 31, of Bensalem, failed to pay for 97 rides on the turnpike, also through Bensalem, according to his criminal complaint. He's racked up a bill of $4,009.70, according to the DA's office.

The other three people charged with theft of services last week were from Philadelphia, Montgomery County and Warminster.

The most frequent offender, according to prosecutors, was a man from East Greenville, in Montgomery County, who traveled on the turnpike without paying 542 times between Sept. 2016 and April 7, racking up a debt of $22,751.55.

Each defendant in the case is charged with a single felony count and Andershonis and Green also are both charged with driving without being properly licensed.

Prosecutors say the charges are part of a continued crackdown on the most extreme cases of drivers using the turnpike and other state toll roads without paying. The five charged last week are the second group of drivers in a year to be charged in Bucks County, which prosecutors say is home to some of the state's more frequently ignored turnpike interchanges.

Previous cases have helped the PA Turnpike Commission recover tens of thousands of dollars of unpaid tolls, the DA's office said.

According to prosecutors, offenders typically enter and exit the turnpike through E-ZPass lanes, where cameras photograph vehicles as they pass through. The amount a driver owes is calculated based on the driver's entry and exit locations, although a driver can be charged for traveling the full length of the turnpike if an entry or exit location can't be pinpointed.