5 Bucks Co. Turnpike Drivers Face Felonies Over Tolls

Five southeast Pennsylvanians are accused of taking more than 1,700 combined rides on the PA turnpike in Bucks County without paying — racking up more than $66,000 in unpaid tolls.

All five now face a single felony count of theft of services.

The most frequent offender, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's office, was Jonathan J. Quinty, 37, from East Greenville, in Montgomery County. They say he traveled on the turnpike without paying 542 times between Sept. 2016 and April 7, racking up a debt of $22,751.55.

• Rachel A. Andershonis, 26, of Bensalem, entered the turnpike in her hometown to take 311 unpaid rides between March 20, 2018 and April 23, according to prosecutors. She owes $19,522.20 in tolls, prosecutors say.
• Robert A. Mansfield, 48, of Philadelphia, also traveled the turnpike through Bensalem, a criminal complaint says, racking up $16,716 in unpaid tolls in 484 trips from March 1, 2014, to April 28.
• Antonio R. Green Jr., 31, also of Bensalem, failed to pay for 97 rides on the turnpike, also through Bensalem, according to his criminal complaint. He's racked up a bill of $4,009.70, according to the DA's office.
• Thomas A. Macrina, 40, of Warminster, took 331 unpaid turnpike trips through Bensalem, his complaint says, and owes $3,517.30.

Each defendant in the case is charged with a single felony count and all but Mansfield also are charged with driving without being properly licensed.

Prosecutors say the charges are part of a continued crackdown on the most extreme cases of drivers using the turnpike and other state toll roads without paying. The five charged last week are the second group of drivers in a year to be charged in Bucks County, which prosecutors say is home to some of the state's more frequently ignored turnpike interchanges.

Previous cases have helped the PA Turnpike Commission recover tens of thousands of dollars of unpaid tolls, the DA's office said.

According to prosecutors, offenders typically enter and exit the turnpike through E-ZPass lanes, where cameras photograph vehicles as they pass through. The amount a driver owes is calculated based on the driver's entry and exit locations, although a driver can be charged for traveling the full length of the turnpike if an entry or exit location can't be pinpointed.