STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 City Councilman Frank Morano\u2019s office helped a Staten Islander whose vehicle was mistakenly impounded while crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, the office announced Friday.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s office said.. Although Ragonese had entered into a payment plan with MTA, the troopers impounded his vehicle anyway. <\/p>\n
According to Councilman Morano\u2019s office, Ragonese\u2019s toll account had fallen into a negative balance at the time of the stop but his registration was not at risk of suspension. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrivers who don\u2019t 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,\u201d MTA Spokesperson Lucas Bejarano said.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s office for help.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo Staten Islander who is actively working to resolve their account should lose access to their vehicle because of an apparent administrative mistake,\u201d said the South Shore Republican, in a press statement. \u201cThis situation disrupted a hardworking resident\u2019s ability to get to his job and created unnecessary stress and hardship.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n