Supporters of President Donald Trump snarled traffic on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey on Sunday, and now authorities there are investigating.
State Police Col. Patrick Callahan said investigators are reviewing videos to identify the vehicles that blocked the northbound lanes of the parkway, the New York Post reported on Monday.
“If we are able to get enough evidence … I would imagine that they would be issued motor vehicle summonses for obstructing traffic,” he said.
Col. Callahan also said troopers who responded to the site were just doing their jobs, noting that their “primary objective yesterday, when that occurred, was to get that traffic moving again.”
“I never want to second-guess troopers … but to start issuing citations and summonses out there probably would have hindered the troopers’ ability to get the parkway flowing north,” he added.
One video posted on social media showed total gridlock as one man said, “We shut it down, baby!”
NJ: #Trump vehicle convoy shuts down the Garden State Parkway. #JewsForTrump #nycmagadrag @realDonaldTrump @DonaldJTrumpJr @TrumpWarRoom pic.twitter.com/kF1yRlKr8x pic.twitter.com/y1Fe8fNi6I
— Yeshiva World News (@YWN) November 1, 2020
The same thing happened in New York on the bridge connecting Nyack and Tarrytown. One video shows Trump supporters standing on the bridge and chanting “USA, USA, USA.”
New York state Sen. David Carlucci blasted the caravans.
“What was seen in New York was aggressive, dangerous, and reckless behavior by some Trump supporters,” Carlucci said in a statement posted to Twitter. “The New York State Police should be working to identify these individuals and charging them. We all have the right to show support for a presidential candidate, but we do not have the right to endanger others and break the law.”
My statement in response to some #TrumpSupporters blocking traffic on the new bridge. 👇👇 #vote pic.twitter.com/zT9M2zq0x8
— Senator David Carlucci (@SenatorCarlucci) November 2, 2020
The caravans came after reports that FBI is investigating a “Trump Train” incident in which dozens of supporters of Trump driving pickup trucks in Texas surrounded a Biden campaign bus on an interstate.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into a Friday incident in which a group of Trump supporters, driving trucks and waving Trump flags, surrounded and followed a Biden campaign bus as it drove up I-35 in Hays County, a law enforcement official confirmed to The Texas Tribune Saturday,” the paper reported.
The incident, caught on video and posted across social media, prompted the Biden campaign to say they were canceling an event in the state. The Washington Post reported that Biden campaign staffers called 911 to to get a police escorted to their next location.
Democratic Texas state Rep. Cheryl Cole wrote on Twitter that “unfortunately, Pro-Trump Protestors have escalated well beyond safe limits. Sorry to all who looked forward to this fun event.”
This is a 1st for me – but we just cancelled a joint event in Pflugerville w/ @JoeBiden campaign, @AustinYoungDems, & more, due to security reasons. Unfortunately, Pro-Trump Protestors have escalated well beyond safe limits. Sorry to all who looked forward to this fun event. https://t.co/tSq4moqro0
— Sheryl Cole (@SherylCole1) October 30, 2020
In another report, CNN said a Biden campaign official described the incident “as an attempt to slow down the bus and run it off the road.”
The incident, caught on video and posted across social media, prompted the Biden campaign to say they were canceling an event in the state.
Related: FBI Investigating ‘Trump Train’ That Surrounded Biden Bus In Texas, Report Says