MANHATTAN — A Manhattan-bound drunk driver sped through a closed lane of the Lincoln Tunnel, smashed through a metal barrier at the exit of the tunnel, then continued driving north nearly twenty blocks before authorities found his disabled vehicle idling on the West Side Highway, Port Authority police said.
When police questioned Mario Saldana, 34, of the Bronx, who was still in the mangled vehicle, he admitted that he had been drinking and asked if he had hit something, authorities said.
The crash happened just before 2:30 a.m. Friday morning, when Saldana sped his 2004 GMC SUV through a closed south tunnel of the Lincoln Tunnel, PA police said. The SUV smashed through a metal gate and continued north, .
When PA police caught up with Saldana, he was idling on the West Side High Way near 57th Street, officials said. The car had severe damage to the front and it was smoking and oozing anti-freeze, police said.
Saldana's eyes were bloodshot and he wreaked of liquor, authorities said.
PA police arrested Saldana and charged him with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident among other charges.
Information about Saldano's lawyer was not immediately available.
