NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The owner of a New Jersey trucking company has been arrested while trying to board a flight to Aruba and charged with racking up more than $1 million of unpaid tolls and fees.
State police say Little Ferry resident Lester Morales was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday.
Police say Morales’ EAB Transport LLC/Do it Right Trucking had 100 trucks going through tolls with a delinquent E-ZPass automatic payment account more than 100 times per day.
“People who cheat the system shift the burden of paying for the operation and maintenance of the Turnpike and Parkway to the honest toll-paying motorists who use those roads every day,” said Joseph W. Mrozek, New Jersey Turnpike Authority Executive Director. “I applaud the efforts of the State Police, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Turnpike Authority staff to bring the owner of this company to justice.”
Morales is being held without bail at the Middlesex County jail and can’t be reached there for comment.
A phone number listed for him has rung unanswered. It’s unclear if he has an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.