A scofflaw waste hauler was busted yesterday morning for trying to cross the George Washington Bridge without paying the toll — and authorities determined he already owes $28,000.
Marcus Tifa, 34, was barreling toward the city in a 2003 freight liner owned by Cargo Transfer Trucking Corp. of Englewood, NJ, when he was spotted by a cop who’s earning a reputation for catching drivers trying to get free rides, Port Authority police said.
He was hauling a municipal-waste container from South Kearny and used a contraption to flip his plates up and hide them in his grill as he rolled through the toll, according to the PAPD.
“They alter the plates so they can gain access to the bridge and use our facility without paying the proper toll,” said Port Authority Police Officer Jason Malice.
Tifa floored it through the cash lane and said he had an E-ZPass when Malice pulled him over, sources said. He then produced an expired pass and argued with the cop, who also found the trucker’s license was suspended and that there were two active warrants for failing to pay moving violations in New Jersey, cops said.
“We do live in an era of terrorism,” Malice said. “What he’s doing is hiding his identity from us. He’s not just not paying the toll. You could put a 2,000-pound bomb in this truck and drive into Manhattan and we have no idea who you are.
“The Port Authority is taking a very hard stance on this. It’s no tolerance.”
Tifa was charged with theft of services, tampering with public records and driving with a suspended license, cops said. He was awaiting arraignment last night and could not be reached for comment.
The company that owns the truck did not return a call for comment.
Additional reporting by Kirstan Conley