New York man arrested for tampering with red light cameras
A Long Island man facing criminal charges for tampering with several red light cameras said that he knew he would be arrested after posting video of his actions online but that it was done in protest of government abuse.
With his task accomplished, the Long Islander boasts that by taking this one camera out of commission he ‘just saved people about $10,000’.
Stephen Ruth, 42, of Stewart Circle, was arrested at his home by Sixth Precinct Crime Sections officers at about 4 p.m. Tuesday based on anonymous tips about a video posted on social media that showed a man manipulating the red-light…
Ruth also announced on Facebook that his next court date is late October, on charges that include criminal tampering and obstruction of governmental administration.
Police say yesterday, Ruth re-pointed two cameras located at Hawkins Avenue and the LIE service road in Ronkonkoma.
“To all the people thinking ‘why would he do that?”
In a shaky self-shot how-to YouTube video, Ruth, wearing a white collared shirt and a tie, explains how simple it is to “take the power back” and save “innocent people a lot of money”. “Didn’t he think he was going to get arrested?” In the videos he says that he is doing this for the sake of hard-working Americans who get caught by these cameras, and he shares the videos so that others can carry on the fight. “Our senior citizens, who already sacrificed their time and their lives for our country, are coming and getting these tickets”. A spokesman for the Suffolk County Executive said Wednesday, “There is never an excuse for vandalism or breaking the law”. These same seniors live in New York’s high cost environment and are being forced out of New York because of its high taxes. “These same people live in our state and pay lower insurance rates because their cars are registered out of state under someone else’s name”.
In one of the videos, Ruth says that he himself has been a victim of these camera many times.