Port Newark Cop Stops Runaway Tire

In what has to be the ultimate in slick moves, a cop in Port Newark saved a number of cars waiting at a red light from being smashed by a runaway truck tire.

On patrol at 11 am yesterday the officer sees a tractor trailer tire rolling in the opposite direction down Corbin Street. He hits the cherries, makes a fast U-Turn and accelerates a quarter mile to catch up to it.

The huge tire was moving 30 mph south straight towards a line of cars idling at a traffic light near the Maher port terminal entrance. It was within only two car lengths of the stopped vehicle when officer Joseph Spatuzza managed to intersect it with his vehicle and wedge it up against a guard rail to get it stopped. The tire had been propelled off an axle when a moving tractor trailer's inside tire exploded. Nice driving officer!

Reminds me of driving paranoia we've all had at one point or another. Have you ever thought about this very thing? You're driving alongside a big rig and think "what if one of his tires just came off right now?" Or "what if one of those cars came loose off that car carrier in front of me?"

What paranoid thoughts have gotten inside your head on the road? Share yours in the comment section below.