If there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that if you take a risk and drive solo in an HOV lane—the carpool lane—you're going to get pulled over and be forced to pay a fine. One man from New Jersey, however, was stopped by Port Authority cops who assumed he was alone, but then discovered something absolutely bonkers about the two passengers who were in his backseat.
Police pulled Luis Moreno Jr., 26, over as he drove his Toyota Sequoia in the HOV lane on the I-95, near the George Washington Bridge during rush hour on Friday morning. Moreno quickly corrected the officers and showed them that he had two male passengers seated the third row of his SUV. An odd place for them to be seated, granted, but not a reason to continue questioning the man.
But then—just as Moreno was pulling away—one of the passengers reportedly tried to jump out of the back window and began screaming for help. The officer attempted to pull the man over again, but he allegedly fled the scene.
He obviously wasn't thinking about what might happen when you try to evade police in your vehicle while every single person in New Jersey is on the road trying to get to work and school. While he was stuck in traffic hell, more Port Authority police officers were able to stop him and find out what the heck was going on inside of the car.
And it's a doozy of a story. One passenger, a 33-year-old man who spoke only Spanish, claimed Moreno picked him up in Texas and offered to drive him to Maryland for money. When they reached Maryland, Moreno reportedly wanted more money from him, which he didn't have—so, the suspect allegedly kept him prisoner in the SUV, took his cell phone away, and locked all of the doors before heading north to New York.
Less is known about the second passenger, a 24-year-old man who also didn't speak English well. He claimed Moreno was keeping him in the car against his will, as well.
It turns out Moreno was already wanted on parole violations in Texas and was reportedly driving with a suspended license. He is being held in jail in lieu of $1 million bail and has been charged with kidnapping, criminal restraint, and receiving stolen property.
Why do you think the suspect allegedly kept these men in his vehicle against their will?
Image via Jamie/Flickr