An NYC commuter narrowly dodged death in the tunnel under the Bridge Apartments when he was suddenly confronted by a massive piece of falling debris.
In a scene like something out of a horror movie, John Toledo was commuting home from his job at the city Department of Environmental Protection around 6 a.m. Thursday when the frightening incident totaled his car.
“Lucky to be alive. Car is Done. Now I need to figure out who can I file a complaint to,” Toledo,61, posted on Reddit.
He had no time to stop or swerve out of the way and barreled into the giant slab, Gothamist reported.
The incident occurred on the Trans Manhattan Expressway, the stretch of road that connects the George Washington Bridge to the Cross Bronx Expressway. The tunnel in question travels under the Bridge Apartments, a complex of four 32-story apartment buildings in Washington Heights.
“If I would have been one or two more seconds further forward, instead of that piece of concrete hitting the front of the car, it could have come through the windshield, and I wouldn’t be speaking to you,” Toledo told the outlet.
Toledo, who works for the city Department of Environmental Protection, posted dashcam footage of the harrowing incident online.
“For the sake of anybody else driving that road in the future there should be some concerted effort by those responsible for that structure to examine it.. so that something like that does not happen again,” he said.
The Port Authority, which is responsible for the roadway, said in a statement it inspected and repaired the damaged area.
“On Thursday, a video surfaced showing what appeared to be debris falling approaching the GWB. Following an inspection of the affected area, we confirmed that a localized ceiling component had failed and then completed all necessary repairs,” a Port Authority Spokesperson told the Post in a statement.
The footage spooked Reddit users, who were horrified by how close the driver was to certain destruction.
“Everytime i go under that thing I wonder what the hell is holding that building up,” one user posted.
“Yer lucky you werent killed,” another said.