STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — City Councilman Frank Morano’s office helped a Staten Islander whose vehicle was mistakenly impounded while crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, the office announced Friday.
Island resident Frank Ragonese was on his way to work when he was pulled over by State Troopers while crossing the span due to unpaid tolls, Morano’s office said.. Although Ragonese had entered into a payment plan with MTA, the troopers impounded his vehicle anyway.
According to Councilman Morano’s office, Ragonese’s toll account had fallen into a negative balance at the time of the stop but his registration was not at risk of suspension.
After the vehicle was taken, Ragonese was left without transportation, unable to report to work, and forced to travel to a train station and walk the remainder of the way back home.
“Drivers who don’t pay thousands of dollars in tolls should expect to get stopped and to have their cars taken. In this case, an agreement to pay toll arrears over time had not yet been communicated to officers who identified the vehicle as having had its registration suspended,” MTA Spokesperson Lucas Bejarano said.
Afterward, Ragonese contacted the Staten Island Registration Suspension Unit and was informed that there were no active flags on his account and no pending registration suspension. Ragonese then reached out to Councilman Morano’s office for help.
“No Staten Islander who is actively working to resolve their account should lose access to their vehicle because of an apparent administrative mistake,” said the South Shore Republican, in a press statement. “This situation disrupted a hardworking resident’s ability to get to his job and created unnecessary stress and hardship.”
Two weeks prior, Ragonese was allegedly pulled over by State Troopers who, after reviewing his account, confirmed there were no enforcement flags or registration suspensions associated with his vehicle and let him go.
In an interview with 1010 Wins, Frank’s wife Fran Ragonese said that her husband was enrolled in an auto pay program with E-ZPass.
“And then they stopped and then they wanted to take his car,” Ragonese told the publication. “We were under the assumption that when we pay, we’re paying off that negative of the ones that didn’t hit the bridge.”
Morano’s office contacted MTA Bridges and Tunnels on Ragonese’s behalf and the agency acknowledged that the impoundment had been made in error and allowed Ragonese to retrieve his vehicle from the bridge facility.
In a statement to the Advance/SILive.com, MTA Bridges and Tunnels said that as soon as the misunderstanding was “recognized,” the car was given back to its owner. Ragonese is still obligated to pay his outstanding toll balance, the agency added.
Despite admitting the vehicle was returned to Ragonese, the MTA said, “At no time was this car impounded.”
“I appreciate that MTA Bridges and Tunnels corrected the error, but there must be stronger safeguards in place to ensure this does not happen again,” Morano said.
Upon retrieving the vehicle, Ragonese reported that an alert related to the emergency brake system appeared following the tow, Morano’s office noted. He will be consulting with his mechanic to determine whether any mechanical issues resulted from the impoundment.
“Reports of damage to the vehicle during the brief period it was stopped by the side of the road were unfounded,” MTA Spokesperson Lucas Bejarano added. “At no time was this car impounded.”
“Councilman Morano’s office will continue monitoring the matter and remains committed to advocating for transparency, accountability, and fair treatment for Staten Island residents,” the Councilman’s office said. “It is possible that due to our office intervening so quickly the car wasn’t formally processed to be impounded.”