Underdog 1,593 Posted May 1, 2012 Last weekend my family was traveling on a stretch of highway between Union City and Hoboken in our vehicle. I think the street is the Viaduct/Hudson Street. It is a street about halfway up the hill near the Lincoln Tunnel with high cement walls around it. I am not sure of the name, but it is an elevated highway leading into Hoboken. We were going down it into Hoboken. As my wife was driving, someone from up above (I think there is a park up there and it is at least 50 feet up) threw a boulder at least the size of a basketball down on us and almost hit our approaching car. It missed the front of the vehicle and landed about 10 feet in front of us. A man on a motorcycle passing us and going the other way saw the whole thing. My wife immediately called the police and they said they would look into it. When something like that happens it really makes you realize how quickly some piece of $hit can change your whole life. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johnp 45 Posted May 1, 2012 Plenty of shitbags in this world, just count your blessings no one got hurt. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gunguynj 0 Posted May 1, 2012 Thank god you are ok...It makes you really think about the difference between a few seconds can make. I hope those punks get what they deserve. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vzguy 13 Posted May 1, 2012 Happend to me in the same exact spot about 15 years ago, but it went into the windshield of my work truck. Didn't hit me but had some small pieces of glass in my arm. That area is known for this to happen, I avoid it like the plague now. Here is another twist, they are replacing the viaduct from UC to Hoboken and have been using some big equipment to take down that bridge, I wonder if all the vibrations are causing the blue stone retaining wall to fail in certain areas. A BIG section fell in April 2007 from a storm we had. I had some work in Hoboken under the viaduct recently, and the ground was vibrating like crazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hd2000fxdl 422 Posted May 1, 2012 Good your ok, yea, it's amazing how fast something can change your whole life in just a moment, good thing this wasn't one of those times. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sivl32 27 Posted May 1, 2012 wow, I got angry while reading that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
specopsscout 26 Posted May 1, 2012 I was driving home from work last year in Bridgeton in my 2004 Ford Taurus, and right after getting on 295N from 42, as I was going under the first overpass around exit 26 in the middle lane, someone threw a cinderblock off the overpass, and it hit dead center of my windshield. It was standard rush hour traffic, with cars less then a car length in every direction. I think our average speed was somewhere around eighty. it scared the living hell out of me. It sounded like a gun shot inside the car when it hit the glass, and I only caught a glimpse of it coming down a split second before it hit. I couldn't do much more then close my eyes and drop my chin to try and avoid getting glass in my eyes. Anything more agressive and it would have been an ugly pile up. Like I said, there was no where to go, and no way to avoid it. Amazingly, my windshield didn't break, it just spiderwebed and dimpled where it hit, and the cinder block went bouncing off into the center island, so thankfully no one else got hit. People in the cars around me saw it, and were either; giving me the wholly crap face, asking if I was okay, or giving me the thumbs up for not crashing us all. I found a Trooper a few exits up and explained what happened. They dispatched a few cars to the area, but as expected, didn't find anything. Two days later, and $340.00 out of pocket, I had a new Safelite windsheild...Glad they had worse timing in your incident... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
specopsscout 26 Posted May 1, 2012 My former Chief, now retired was driving his son up to college on the PA Turnpike over the winter, when a tractor trailer went by in the fast lane. A large sheet of ice blew off the top of the truck and came down right through the windshield of his relatively new Ford Explorer. They both ended up with minor injuries from the glass and ice, him with cuts on his face and hands, and his son with cuts on his chest, but it could have been much worse. He said he felt like he aged about ten years in those few seconds... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old School 611 Posted May 1, 2012 Joe - Glad you and your family are OK. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Underdog 1,593 Posted May 1, 2012 Happend to me in the same exact spot about 15 years ago, but it went into the windshield of my work truck. Didn't hit me but had some small pieces of glass in my arm. That area is known for this to happen, I avoid it like the plague now. Here is another twist, they are replacing the viaduct from UC to Hoboken and have been using some big equipment to take down that bridge, I wonder if all the vibrations are causing the blue stone retaining wall to fail in certain areas. A BIG section fell in April 2007 from a storm we had. I had some work in Hoboken under the viaduct recently, and the ground was vibrating like crazy. We saw the perpetrator up there. I suppose there could be instances of vibrations with all of the activity, there, but that was not the case this time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
njpilot 671 Posted May 1, 2012 Glad no one got hurt. Luck was on your side. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimmyAGR 54 Posted May 1, 2012 Glad you are okay. I bet the motorcyclist had a pucker factor also. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silverado427 10,822 Posted May 1, 2012 Wow that's sick, What deranged mind does that . Glad your ok Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kasanova 2 Posted May 1, 2012 That place is dangerous to drive up at especially at night, you got all those kids drinking and smoking at that park, and you will be surprise what you see on the floor the next day. Broken beer bottles, rocks the size of my newborn, and other stuff. They dont care, they wait for a lot of cars to pass by just to hit them. How do i know, i learned my lesson not to go up the Viaduct at night. Just bought a new car(to me) and was leaving a bar from hoboken to go to fifth and summit. While driving up, I just hear bangs on my roof and hood, then cracks, at first i though it was my windows, i look back and they were beer bottles. That would be the last time I drive up the viaduct beneath the park that late. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Parker 213 Posted May 1, 2012 Glad you're okay. You had luck on your side. There are plenty of jerks in this world. Some things just never change over time. My younger brother rowed crew for Manhattan College back in the late 70's. They used to train on the Harlem River (still do.) Back then the local kids used to go up on the bridges and drop bricks or half a cinder block on the shells trying to hit them as they passed below. The school had a chase boat that used to go out ahead and look for "trouble on the trestles" when they trained every day. No cell phones back then to call police or warn anyone of trouble or prevent it. My brother was so good he went to the Olympic trials for crew. But that never transpired. In 1980, the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Olympics, in protest to Russia's invasion of Afghanistan. Odd and different times back then. Sorry for the segue off-topic but your story brought back some old memories. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greydaddy 2 Posted May 1, 2012 "Still a little shaken up and somewhat angry..." Glad you're ok! Freakin' ANIMALS! Can't say anything more or I'll have Sharpton after me! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KpdPipes 388 Posted May 1, 2012 We saw the perpetrator up there. I suppose there could be instances of vibrations with all of the activity, there, but that was not the case this time. Used to be a regular occurence on 280 going through Newark as well I remember as a kid my dad taking a brick through our windshield from some little *&^%Bird on one of the overpasses. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites