‘Did I hit something?’ drunken man asks after crashing through Lincoln Tunnel gate, police say

Submitted by New Jersey Motor Vehicle Crash Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark

This 2004 GMC SUV crashed through the Lincoln Tunnel on Friday morning, Port Authority police said. (Photo courtesy of Port Authority police)

WEEHAWKEN—When a Bronx man drunkenly sped through a closed portion of the Lincoln Tunnel on Friday, he didn’t realize he’d crashed through barriers in order to get into Manhattan, Port Authority police said.

As smoke and antifreeze came off his heavily-damaged car, the driver asked police if he’d hit something.

Mario H. Saldana, 34, crashed through the Lincoln Tunnel just before 2:30 a.m. on Friday, ignoring signals from Port Authority police that the south tunnel was closed, said Joe Pentangelo, Port Authority police spokesman. Saldana continued through the tunnel, as workers were inside performing maintenance on the south tube, and crashed through a closed gate into Manhattan, Pentangelo said.

A camera caught Saldana heading toward the West Side Highway, where police eventually found his disabled 2004 GMC Envoy, just north of 57th Street. Saldana was in the driver’s seat, and his eyes were bloodshot and he smelled strongly of liquor, Pentangelo said.

The car’s engine was running, but the vehicle had sustained serious front damage. When police arrived, smoke and antifreeze were coming from the car, Pentangelo said. Saldana admitted to drinking prior to driving and asked police if he’d hit something with his car, Pentangelo said.

He was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, failure to comply with an officer and being an unlicensed operator.

Originally published here by nj.com