London, January 02: The New Jersey peddler whose abandoned van went unnoticed for two days in Times Square is facing up to seven years in jail for allegedly doctoring the temporary license plate in the vehicle’s window.
George Freyre, 36, of Palisades Park, was released without bail today, pending the disposition of a felony charge of criminal possession of a forged instrument.
His white 1997 Dodge van had gone undisturbed at Broadway and 42nd Street for two days, despite it sitting in a no-parking zone with no license plates and plastic bags over the tinted windows, until a worker alerted authorities Wednesday.
Officials cordoned off the street, evacuated nearby buildings and sent a remote-controlled robot into the vehicle before determining its contents were no more sinister than a few bootleg Burberry scarves.
Officials say the expiration date on the temporary licence plate displayed in the van’s rear window had been changed from November 29 to December 29, meaning it was still expired when the van was discovered.
Freyre is also charged with unlawful use of an official police card for having on his dashboard a parking placard issued by the Detectives Crime Clinic of Metropolitan New Jersey and New York, a Bronx-based nonprofit group that says he is not a member.
Freyre denies the charges and declined comment as he left court.
He is due back January 22.
—Agencies