Vancouver trucker accused of evading N.Y. bridge toll

Port authority police say license plate was altered

By Craig Brown, Columbian Editor

Published: September 23, 2014, 5:00pm

A Vancouver trucker was arrested in New York on Wednesday, accused of altering his tractor’s license plate in order to avoid tolls on the George Washington Bridge.

Port authority police identified the suspect as Pavel K. Kosovan, 33, of Vancouver.

According to a news release from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Kosovan was driving eastbound on the bridge, which carries Interstate 95 across the Hudson River between New Jersey and the Bronx.

Police Officer George Kwiecinski was on duty about 5:30 a.m. when he saw a blue 2007 Freightliner drive through an EZ Pass lane without rendering payment, according to the news release. Kwiecinski stopped the rig and noted that grease had been smeared on the front and rear license plates, partly obscuring the letters and numbers.

Kosovan faces charges of theft of service (tolls), tampering with public records, and driving with altered license plates, according to police.

According to the port authority’s website, commercial trucks pay tolls ranging from $39 to $102 or more, depending on the number of axles on the truck, the time of day the bridge is crossed, and whether the driver pays cash or uses EZ Pass electronic tolling.

If Kosovan had been westbound, the toll would have been free.

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