Brentwood, NY- A Suffolk County man was caught driving on the Long Island Expressway, in the HOV lane, on Wednesday night, with a fake passenger. Authorities say Justin Kunis, 20, of Lake Grove was traveling eastbound on the LIE in Brentwood, near exit 52/Commack Road, at approximately 7:15 p. m., when a Highway Patrol Officer spotted a suspicious front seat passenger in the vehicle. Police say they initiated a traffic stop and discovered that Kunis, had a drama mask attached to the front passenger headrest, in an attempt to make it look like a passenger was in the vehicle. Under NYS law driving in the HOV lane without a passenger is prohibited between the hours of 6am-10am and 3pm-8pm on weekdays. Kunis was issued a summons for the HOV occupancy violation.
Photo: A mask attached to the passenger seat of a vehicle that police say was spotted on the Long Island Expressway in the HOV lane on June 2, 2020. Photo courtesy of Suffolk County Police