The I-Team has dug up to hundreds of cringe-worth complaints about toll booth collectors on New Jersey highways. Chris Glorioso reports.
What to Know
- Hundreds of complaints filed against toll collectors show NJ motorists grousing about bizarre customer service encounters
- The I-Team obtained the narratives of driver grievances as part of a public records request for the last three years of complaints
- The complaints cover grievances against toll operators working on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway
Hundreds of complaints filed against toll collectors show New Jersey motorists grousing about some of the most bizarre customer service encounters imaginable.
In one complaint, a driver accuses the toll collector of handing back change stained with blood. In another, a driver claims her toll collector was smoking a cigarette and ashes fell on the driver's arm as money was exchanged.
The I-Team obtained the narratives of driver grievances as part of a public records request for the last three years of complaints against toll operators working on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.
Location: Unknown, New Jersey Turnpike
Complaint: First of all she was yelling at me to hurry up when I was trying to get my change for her. I gave her $5.00 and was getting the other $1.65 when she yelled at me, “THIS ISN’T ENOUGH MONEY I SAID 6.65” and mumbled under her breath “You’re so dumb.” When I gave her the rest of the money she had a cigarette hanging from her arm and her ashes got on my hand and arm.
n
Location: East Orange, Garden State Pkwy
nComplaint: I proceeded to drive through the cash/receipts lane and handed the toll collector a $5 bill. He handed me back $4.50, but the money had blood all over it…[name redacted] asked another employee to exchange the money that was given to me with clean money. When I got to my destination and went to use the money, I noticed that one of the dollars was the same dollar that was given to me with the blood on it. Whomever handled it simply wiped the blood off and gave me back the same money.
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Location: Secaucus Transfer Station, New Jersey Turnpike
nComplaint: [Complainant] is handicapped. At Int 15X at 16.18 on Friday, [the collector] dropped the money, told the patron to get out of the car and get the money and they made fun of him with arm movements.
Location: Delaware Memorial Bridge, New Jersey Turnpike
nComplaint: Patron claims collector dropped money when handed to him. Collector made homophobic slurs.
Location: East Orange, Garden State Parkway
Complaint: The employee...engaged the driver of the vehicle by first saying hi. She responded back and he continued saying how it was “so hot out” to which she smiled and nodded in agreement. He then went on to say something to the effect of “I know you all are hot, I’d be hot too if I had to wear that monkey suit like you.” Please note that we are black women, and that at the time of the incident were in full garb as we are Muslim and were on our way to prayer.
Location: NJ-3, Lincoln Tunnel, Secaucus, New Jersey Turnpike
nComplaint: While collector returned coin portion of change, 25 cents made it into hand, 40 cents landed on ground. Collector refused to replace, told patron, “You dropped it.” Patron is disabled.
Location: NJ-33, Hightstown, Freehold, New Jersey Turnpike
Complaint: Last night my girlfriend was exiting the NJ Turnpike. She attempted to hand her toll payment to the man in the booth. He grabbed her hand and pulled it to him. She jerked her hand back and he then proceeded to tell her how beautiful a woman she was. She then told him she does not like men. His reply to her was, “That’s because you have not been [explicit] by a Puerto Rican man before.” I am not sure what your hiring requirements are, but you need to evaluate your employees more closely.
Location:NJ-3, Lincoln Tunnel, Secaucus New Jersey Turnpike
nComplaint:Patron states that collector "snatched" money and ticket out of his hand and the change was thrown back at him. Patron also states that collector told him to [expletive] his mother then a rock was thrown at his car.
Location: NJ-3, Lincoln Tunnel, Secaucus, New Jersey Turnpike
nComplaint: After the toll was paid, collector was “acting funny.” Patron claimed that collector was asking for money, if he could “help out.” Patron said he didn’t have money and that’s when collector spit at him.
Location:NJ-3, Sportsplex, E. Rutherford, New Jersey Turnpike
nComplaint:[Patron] says he drives from 7A every day to 16W. He was shorted once before but did not report it, but this time he was shorted $9.00. The patron stated to me that this was the second time he had to wake her up from sleeping. [He] gave the collector $20.05 from 7A and she returned to him $3 not $12.
In all, the records show drivers filed more than 780 complaints against toll collectors between Jan. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30, 2017. The top complaint category was, by far, motorists accusing toll collectors of shortchanging them. The second most common complaint came from drivers who believed toll collectors were rude or used foul language.
The third most common compliant came from drivers frustrated their toll collector was on the phone or wearing headphones and appearing not to pay attention. Toll collectors are not supposed to smoke, wear headphones or talk and text on their phones. They are allowed to listen to music at a low level.
Local
Despite the egregious nature of some of the toll booth horror stories, Tom Feeney, a spokesman for the NJ Turnpike Authority, said complaints against toll collectors are way down, even after you factor in the increased use of E-ZPass, which tends to reduce the total number of interactions drivers have with human collectors.
According to data provided by the NJ Turnpike Authority, there was one complaint against a toll collector for every 456,000 cash transactions. That is down about 16 percent from 2015.
"The number of allegations of bad behavior by toll collectors is decreasing by a much higher rate than the number of cash transactions," Feeney said in a statement to the I-Team. "In other words, the growth in the popularity of E-ZPass does not account for the steep drop in the number of allegations of toll collector bad behavior."
Feeney also said many of the drivers who say they were shortchanged are not actually complaining but simply requesting to be reimbursed after their own error, driving away before collecting their change.
Lisa Daeschler, a toll operator who works on the Garden State Parkway, said she rarely loses her temper with a driver, but it’s important for the public to understand it is often the person behind the wheel who escalates tensions at the toll booth.
“They’ll come through and throw change at you and go, ‘I shouldn’t have to pay for this because it’s snowing out,’ and I’m like, 'I’m just doing my job,'” Daeschler said.
Laurie Ralph, a New Jersey driver, said she believes toll booth confrontations often begin with a rude driver, not a rude toll collector.
“My husband was a toll collector for a short time,” Ralph said. “What the people did to the toll collectors was just as nasty.”
The I-Team has reached out to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the union that represents New Jersey toll booth operators.
Richard Richards, operator: Honestly, as an operator, I have to tell them something. In an attempt to keep the customers calm you tell them we have traffic ahead, we have delays ahead, but in honesty we don't always know 'cause they are not telling us and radio communications can be choppy.
nJoe Costales, conductor: The system is antiquated, the relay for the radio systems are not kept up, they are not repaired, they are not constantly checked so there are black-out areas.
nCrystal Young, conductor: We may talk to them over the radio and they can hear us but we can't hear what they are saying. Sometimes when we are on a train it's not that we don't want to let the customers know what's going on, we don't have the communications to let them know what's going on.
Costales: All the time.
nRichards: They had hot-plates they had TVs, they literally lived back there.
nCostales: You see them coming out. A lot of times people who get hit by trains, are the ones living in the subway.
nBrandon Patterson, conductor: Sometimes when we go to set up tracks we go down there and they get mad because they think we are invading their home space.
Richards: I've seen people actually having sex on the train.
nCostales: Masturbating, having sex.
nRichards: And they've got a bed set up, they tap into the third rail and they are watching TV.
nYoung: One time someone brought a goat on the train. They bought it at a live mart.
Tramell Thompson, conductor: The E train has been dubbed 'The Homeless Express', it's one of those lines that doesn't go outside. So from terminal to terminal it's underground. It's pretty warm. You have new, nicer trains over there, it's clean over there. And you know the homeless, you go on there at midnight, you'll see five or six homeless people in each car. But the homeless isn't really the issue with us, it's mainly the drunks.
Richards: In the middle of the car. You don't want to sit in the corners [because that's where people throw up and urinate]. Also by the doors, you'll be on your phone and as soon as the doors get ready to close, they snatch it and they're off.
Conductors: A safe place to ride on a subway train would be in the middle of the train in the conductor's car or in the very first car where the train operator's going to be. That way at least you're closest to a crew member to help if they have to.
Conductors: Absolutely.
nYoung: At the end of the line they have a sign that shows on-time job performance, where they literally track to see how many people were injured while in performance of their duty so that's what they are concerned about. It's easier for a passenger to make a complaint versus us making a complaint because they just want to keep that train moving.
nPatterson: The MTA's logo is 'Every second counts,' so every second counts to them.
nYoung: Some superintendents, if someone has to take a comfort they want you to write a [note]. So you have to, as an adult, write down on a piece of paper that you had to use the bathroom. God forbid if you use the bathroom too often, then they will try to write you up.
Tramell Thompson, train conductor: Anything, EDPs (emotionally disturbed person), anything. Could be a disturbance on the train, fights.n
Eric Loegel, train operator: Unattended package, suspicious package..."customer injury" as they say. A customer injury is generally someone who has been struck by a train. And we internally refer to that as a 12-9.
Patterson: No, I try not to. I tell [my kids] not to touch anything, I carry hand sanitizer.
nRichards: I don't touch the poles or I sit in the middle...I'm a big guy, I brace myself.
nCostales: We transport millions of people, it's hard to keep it that clean.
Patterson: Standing behind the yellow line, the [public] leans over looking for the train, they could slip, and that's what causes 12-9s and delays
nRichards: I've seen people fall on the tracks 'cause they hear the announcement and they think the train is on their track and they start straight walking because they are online...we get conditioned, oh the train is here, they start walking and they fall.
Some of the complaints against toll collectors involve allegations of racial discrimination, sexual harassment and mocking drivers with disabilities.
In one case, a black Muslim driver complained about a toll collector who referred to her religious clothing as a "monkey suit."
Another driver complained a toll collector grabbed her arm and suggested she should try having sex with a Puerto Rican man.
In yet another case, a disabled driver claimed a toll collector dropped change on the ground and then mocked the motorist's arm movements when the driver could not pick up the money.
Feeney said every complaint is investigated by a supervisor and responses can range from a verbal warning to counseling to termination.
For example, a collector was recommended for termination in one case after he was accused of repeated racist remarks and making fun of a patron’s accent.
A warning was put in the file of the toll collector accused of mocking a disabled driver. The collector accused of getting cigarette ashes on a patron’s arm was also issued a warning The allegation of sexual harassment was determined to be unfounded after the driver declined to pursue the complaint. A supervisor issued a verbal warning to the toll collector accused of mocking a driver’s disability.
The NJ Turnpike Authority has yet to tell the I-Team whatever became of complaints about the collector making fun of Muslim religious clothing or the collector handing back blood-stained money.
The Alpine ski racer fuels up in the morning with scrambled eggs mixed with red bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, and cilantro. She tops it off with Cholula hot sauce, according to Women's Health.
The snowboarder eats chocolate pancakes with biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Celebrity chef David Chang surprised her with two of her favorite sweets in one: a churro ice cream sandwich.
<The snowboarder has a $920 burger named after him in South Korea, but his favorite thing is Americanized Chinese food, especially airport Chinese food, according to US Weekly.
The figure skater says he has a relatively organized nutrition schedule, but he told NBC Olympics he likes to indulge in desserts, especially Hershey's bars.
The Alpine ski racer is an absolute pasta fanatic. She told Eating Well that she makes a "mean mac and cheese."
The freestyle skater has nicknamed an Indian food buffet he goes to in Colorado "Curry in a Hurry." He told Men's Journal: "The first time I went there, I ate there eight days in a row."
The ice dancer loves Korean foods like barbeque, bibimbap, chap chae and duk bokgi, according to NBC Olympics.
The ice dancer starts every day off with a green tea and lemon but moves to herbal teas later in the day, NBC Olympics reported.
The snowboarder told the Chicago Tribune she was looking forward to sampling different foods in Korea. She’ll have plenty to choose from, including these fried mandu (Korean dumplings) at the Olympic Park.
The biathlete told NBC Olympics that her favorite foods are pizza, dark chocolate, and dried mango.
The bobsledder eats lots of veggies and lean proteins. She shared a pan-seared duck with swiss chard recipe with ESPN.
Like several other athletes, the curler loves Korean barbecue. He's also a fan of pizza and wings when he's back home in Minnesota, according to NBC Olympics.
The curler used to work at a place called Tornado Steakhouse. Naturally, he likes steaks, NBC Olympics reported.
The U.S. women's hockey team fills up with a range of things, including the classic and protein-rich peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the New York Times reported.
The Alpine ski racer is a fan of big salads and chicken breasts for lunch, but in general loves meals with lots of meat and vegetables, he told ABC.
The speed skater loves kimchi and Korean barbecue, but nothing beats wings and fries from Crunchies & Munchies in Florida, she says.
The luger has cold cut meats for breakfast, along with two to four boiled eggs, bread, yogurt, granola and fruit, according to Cosmopolitan.
The hockey player loves her mom's home-cooked enchiladas and shrimp jambalaya, according to Cosmopolitan.
The freestyle skier snacks on carrots and hummus and eats other healthy foods like quinoa salad, greens, and pumpkin seeds for lunch, Cosmopolitan reported.
The curler loves a big bowl of pasta and a glass of wine after competing even though the curling team mostly sticks to a super-healthy diet, according to First We Feast.
The snowboarder says her favorite pasttime is going to In-N-Out for burgers, according to Cosmopolitan.
The curler always has a chocolate milk between games, she told Cosmopolitan.
The cross-country skier has a sweet spot for apple pie despite the fact she removed gluten and many processed foods from her diet, First We Feat reported.
The figure skater usually makes overnight oats with almond milk for breakfast. He told Bon Appetit that it's important to be consistent with breakfast while traveling.
The bobsledder makes protein bites out of oats, peanut butter, a little honey, protein powder, dark chocolate chips, crushed almonds, and sometimes dried cranberries, according to Bon Appetit.
The freestyle skier loves brown cheese from Norway, but her favorite is Cabot cheddar from her home state of Vermont, according to Delish.
The hockey player loves kimchi and said she's looking forward to trying authentic Korean food while in Pyeongchang, NBC Olympics reported.
The luger ate an entire slice of pizza in one bite in a video posted to Twitter.
The cross-country skier loves to bake and whips up everything from banana bread to pancakes and muffins while training, according to Cosmopolitan.
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The pair skater told InStyle that she always drinks a glass of milk in the morning and then again at night.
The snowboarder makes green smoothies packed with protein powder and 100 superfoods, according to InStyle.
The Alpine skier's favorite breakfast is a "large sweet-potato, shiitake mushroom, red onion, garlic, and spinach stir fry with two fried duck-eggs on top," InStyle reported.
The cross-country skier told Delish that her favorite dessert is chocolate. "When I'm traveling the world, there are a million different kinds," she said.
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The speed skater posted a "nood photo" of himself eating a giant plate of noodles before the Winter Olympics.
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The speed skater told Bon Appetit her favorite food is "any type of meat."
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When he's done competing, the bobsledder is all about Five Guys burgers, according to Bon Appetit.
The speed skater told Bon Appetit that she likes fresh mango right off the tree.
The bobsledder has sung the praises of campfire coffee, according to Bon Appetit.
The snowboarder makes her own maple syrup in Lake Tahoe, Bon Appetit reported.
The speed skater told Delish that she eats avocado toast with an egg after practice.
The ice dancer always starts the day by swigging one or two glasses of water. Although she adopted a vegan diet, she has since been incorporating some animal products back into her meals, according to Delish.
The ice dancer says nothing compares to "some quality pizza at a nice Italian restaurant" after competition, Delish reported.
The figure skater makes her own banana muffins, a treat she calls her guilty pleasure, according to Delish.
The Nordic combined skier is a big believer in everything being OK in moderation, according to Delish. He dives into an IPA, ice cream and his wife's baked goods when he's not competing.
The short-track speed skater eats a carb-rich meal of pasta or rice and a protein before training, Delish reported.
The curler says she has "a big sweet tooth for fruity candies like Starburst and Skittles," according to Delish.
The snowboarder snacks on protein shakes and carries protein powder with her to "ensure I can get what my body needs to repair after a hard day on the hill," Delish reported.
The biathalon competitor goes for a large salad and a "heaping plate of rice" with chicken and veggies for lunch, according to Delish.
The downhill skier drinks "lots and lots" of coconut water when competing. She also uses the beverage as a base for her morning smoothies and carries a bottle with her to the slopes, First We Feast reported.
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The speed skater loves Korean barbecue, but he says his absolute favorite food is Chinese lumpia, a pastry similar to spring rolls, according to First We Feast.
The skeleton racer snacks on cottage cheese and protein powder to get ready for competition, First We Feast reported.
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The short-track skater downs protein-rich foods like hard-boiled eggs between racing events, Bustle reported.
