Driver issued multiple summonses after truck gets wedged in Brooklyn Battery Tunnel
BROOKLYN, New York (WABC) -- A truck stuck in Brooklyn led to a traffic nightmare Thursday morning.
It happened after 10 a.m. in the inbound lane of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.
The driver of the 18-wheel tractor trailer became stuck in the Brooklyn-bound tube after driving down the Gowanus Expressway and entering the tunnel.
It took MTA officials two hours to remove the truck - a process that included dismantling it inside the tunnel.
Structural engineers looked at the tunnel before opening it just after 3 p.m. for the afternoon commute.
The driver of the truck, identified as Abdi Mohamed Omar, was issued multiple summonses for illegally driving in the HOV lane, at a high rate of speed, before entering the tunnel on the Brooklyn side, blowing past an officer who tried to stop him.
The Minnesota native received summonses for traveling in an HOV lane, disobeying posted over-height warning signs, damage to property, failure to obey an officer, driving an unregistered vehicle, and operating with a flat tire.
"Those reckless actions caused delays to the end of the morning commute, inconveniencing hundreds of other drivers," said MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan.
The truck was carrying paint and had dropped a shipment off in Brooklyn before the incident. It was headed to Port Washington, Long Island, at the time of the incident.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
