By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — A local politician wants the cuffs slapped on the driver who wedged his mammoth truck in an overpass on the FDR Drive on Thursday, bringing traffic to a grinding halt and triggering hours of delays for motorists in Manhattan.
Queens Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. sent a strongly worded letter to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly demanding an investigation that Vallone said should justifiably lead to the driver's arrest.
"This driver’s actions clearly fall into the exact definition of reckless endangerment, as one who 'engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person,'" wrote Vallone, chair of the Council's Public Safety Committee.
“If the investigation concludes without resulting in arrest, please provide my office with an explanation as to why that is the case.”
The driver got the tractor-trailer stuck under a southbound overpass near Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side around 6:15 a.m. Thursday, snarling the morning commute and closing southbound lanes from 96th to 79th streets.
“As a result of this driver’s reckless actions, many motorists on the FDR Drive were inconvenienced and countless residents were potentially placed at risk as emergency vehicles were blocked from using this major traffic artery for two hours,” Vallone said in the letter.
“I am pleased to now hear that the investigation is continuing and the driver was issued numerous summonses,” he added, “However, his actions warrant arrest.”
