The Latest on the Mass Pike Road Rage Incident
Two men appeared in court after one of them ended up riding the hood of a moving car on the highway.
Image via Massachusetts State Police
The wild Mass Pike road rage incident that has captured wide attention this weekend made its way to court on Monday, as both men face charges for their behavior.
Video of the spectacular high-speed standoff was captured by a bystander and shared by NBC Boston on Friday night, showing a white-haired man gripping the front of the car as it accelerates and slows down, all the while glaring at the driver through a spider-webbed front windshield, until it comes to a dramatic (and thankfully, injury-free) conclusion.
You really have to see it if you haven’t already.
EXCLUSIVE: Video shows man on hood in apparent road rage incident on Mass. Pike. https://t.co/cWzhHf5smn pic.twitter.com/ii2OM0ESF9
— Nick Emmons NBC10 Boston (@nicknbcboston) January 25, 2019
Richard Kamrowski, 65, of Framingham—the man who you may recognize as the guy hanging on the front of another man’s car like a human hood ornament—is due in Waltham District Court Monday morning. So is Mark Fitzgerald, 37, of Ashland, who is the one who decided to not let this fact bother him and just keep driving at speeds that reportedly reached 70 miles per hour in heavy traffic for three miles.
How did all of this happen? According to Massachusetts State Police, the two men were involved in “a minor, side-swipe collision”on the Pike in Weston just before 4:45 p.m. Friday.
Things got out of hand from there. Per the police report:
Following the collision, KAMROWSKI stopped in the left lane, exited his vehicle, and attempted to exchange paperwork with FITZGERALD, who was still inside his vehicle. That encounter became adversarial and at some point, KAMROWSKI retrieved a water bottle from the interior of FITZGERALD’s vehicle before taking a position in front of that vehicle. FITZGERALD then began driving towards KAMROWSKI, who subsequently jumped up on the hood of FITZGERALD’s vehicle.
FITZGERALD then began to drive westbound with the Infinity accelerating and stopping, with speeds reaching as high as approximately 70 MPH, while KAMROWSKI remained on the hood of the vehicle. At some point, KAMROWSKI broke the windshield of the Infinity by hitting it with the water bottle he had taken earlier in the encounter. The Infinity continued about two to three miles, while other motorists attempted to get FITZGERALD to stop.
Eventually, a few other drivers witnessing this wild ride helped to nudge Fitzgerald’s 2016 Infinity QX70 against a median and force him to a stop, and then one Good Samaritan pulled out a literal gun to stop the driver from fleeing the scene.
Both were taken into custody when police arrived. Fitzgerald on Monday pleaded not guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. His license has been suspended, CBS Boston reports. Kamrowski, meanwhile, pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct and malicious damage to a motor vehicle.
Reporters at the scene said neither had anything to say on the way into the courthouse.
Mass Pike road rage driver Mark Fitzgerald, in sunglasses, and man who was on hood, Richard Kamrowski, arrive at Waltham court a minute apart. No comment from either. #WCVB pic.twitter.com/G6lUNAIX4y
— Josh Brogadir (@JoshBrogadirTV) January 28, 2019
