Taxi drivers end Newark Airport protest

NEWARK, N.J. Taxi drivers are once again picking up passengers at Newark Liberty International Airport after staging a five-hour shutdown to protest the arrest of a fellow cabbie.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Steve Coleman said his agency used buses to transport incoming passengers to area rail stations to help them get to their destinations.

Coleman said the protest followed the arrest of cabbie Ahmed Deraz around 3 p.m. Friday.

He said Jersey City Police Lt. Pietro Veltre was in uniform driving his personal vehicle and claims Deraz cut him off on the Pulaski Skyway and drove in a reckless manner. Veltre followed Deraz to the cab staging area near the airport, where an argument ensued. Port Authority Police were called and arrested Deraz.

The protest broke up following Deraz's release from custody around 8 p.m. Newark Liberty is one of the nation's busiest airports, handling about 33 million passengers annually.