WASHINGTON – Beltway commuters are used to traffic snarls in the morning and they hardly put anyone in a good mood. But Tuesday’s backups offered a bit of levity even for a woman who was late to her first day at a new job.
A man dressed in a toga or wrapped in some sort of sheet or cloth, was seen walking along Interstate 495 in Prince George’s County. His stroll included a police escort and caused traffic backups about eight miles on the Outer Loop, according to commuter Brie Rizzo Hall.
Hall tells ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ that when she encountered the man, he was walking in the shoulder and was carrying a large stick. Maryland state troopers were following him.
“The traffic made me late for work on my first day at a new job but it made for a funny story,” she says.
State police say they received a report of a man walking on the shoulder near Exit 15 about 8:15 a.m. He was claiming to be Jesus and officers planned to give him a ride off the Beltway. State police did not report any notes about traffic delays related to the man.
However ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½’s Traffic Center heard complaints of rubbernecking delays related to drivers spotting “toga man.”
MD – 495 Outer Loop near Ritchie Marlboro: Caller reports, man w/ a toga on the right side. All lanes open
— ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ Traffic (@²ÝÝ®´«Ã½traffic)
"Man in toga" made the traffic report this morning for causing delays. Thanks for the laugh
— Allison Wallace (@alliooop)
On sweltering days- / The smartest man outside is- / The man in toga. /
— Shad from DC (@shadfromdc)
This is true. MRT : toga man is causing rubbernecking delays. never a dull moment in the national capital region.
— ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ Traffic (@²ÝÝ®´«Ã½traffic)
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