A New York City truck driver is accused of using a fancy bumper-retracting gadget to help him avoid paying the toll on the George Washington Bridge . Authorities say Pablo Ortega was seen activating a device to make his 'bumper lift to a 90-degree angle ' so his license plate would be 'unreadable to the EZ-Pass reader ' by an officer from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police who was positioned at a toll booth earlier this week . Ortega , 45 , was charged with tampering with public records and possession of burglary tools . Scroll down for video . Pablo Ortega , 45 , was charged with tampering with public records and possession of burglary tools . Authorities believe that Ortega was trying to avoid paying a $ 95 toll for crossing the George Washington Bridge . Police say he used a device to lift his truck 's bumper at a 90 degeree angle to avoid an EZ-Pass reader . The officer observed Ortega flipping a switch on the dashboard of his red 1997 Peterbilt tractor-trailer as he entered the bridge from Fort Lee , New Jersey . The suspect had a load of candy he was hauling across the Hudson River . It normally costs $ 95 for an 18-wheel truck to cross the Hudson into upper Manhattan . The rear license plate of the truck was covered with grease and unreadable , the New York Post reported . Port Authority spokesman Joseph Pentangelo said : 'This is more sophisticated than most of the contraptions we 've seen in the past . ' The device , which can be used legally to protect bumpers from getting scraped , cost Ortega about $ 2,500 . It is not known how many times Ortega used the device . The device on Ortega 's red 1997 Peterbilt tractor-trailer was operated by a switch on the vehicle 's dashboard�� .
Ortega is charged with possession of burglary tools and tampering . 45-year-old 's bumper lifted to 90-degree angle to avoid EZ-Pass reader . Rear license plate of his vehicle was covered with grease and unreadable . Port Authority charges $ 95 for 18-wheel trucks taking bridge to Manhattan .