A motorist decided to "decided to take the matter in his own hands" after a trucker was allegedly driving recklessly, according to police. Watch video
An apparent act of road rage ended when a tractor-trailer driver crashed into a highway median, flipped and overturned across Route 17 in a wreck captured on dashboard camera footage, police said Tuesday.
“Miraculously, no other vehicles struck the tractor which could have resulted in a major accident since it occurred at approximately 9:46 a.m. on a weekday morning,” said Mahwah police Chief James N. Batelli.
The traffic mess began when an SUV driver saw what he believed was a tractor-trailer being driven aggressively and changing lanes in a reckless manner, police said in a statement.
The concerned motorist “decided to take the matter in his own hands and slow the tractor-trailer down to prevent any type of accident,” Batelli added.
Police said the trucker told officers he was driving northbound when the gray SUV entered the same lane in front of him, began braking and straddled the lanes. The trucker said he lost control of the big rig, unsuccessfully tried to regain control, but hit the divider and flipped.
Luckily, the truck was hauling candy and not a hazardous material, the chief said.
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Police issued summonses to the truck driver – a 36-year-old man from Depew, New York – for careless driving, failure to maintain lane and failure to signal, according to authorities.
The SUV driver – a 44-year-old man from Montebello, New York – was ticketed for reckless driving, failure to maintain lanes, failure to signal and delaying traffic, police said.
Batelli pointed to a marked increase in road rage incidents, including extreme cases of motorists ramming vehicles or ending with confrontations.
“In this latest incident the proper approach would have been for the driver of the SUV to have dialed 9-1-1 and report the tractor to law enforcement,” the chief said.
Lt. Scott Cherven, Mahwah traffic bureau supervisor, urged motorists not to try retaliating against another aggressive driver.
“What starts out as a motor vehicle violation can easily escalate in a very dangerous situation with the potential of very serious, if not dangerous outcome,” Cherven added in a statement.
Police urged witnesses to report aggressive driving to 9-1-1 and provide as much information as possible, including knowing your location.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.