George Washington Bridge traffic snarled after Cross Bronx Expressway debris fall injures 1

A 56-year-old man was hospitalized Wednesday morning after debris fell from a Cross Bronx Expressway overpass onto a car below, sources said.

It happened at around 7:50 a.m. under the apartments where New Jersey-bound traffic approaches the lower level to the George Washington Bridge.

A large piece of concrete fell onto the sunroof and in front of his Subaru.   

He was awake and mobile when he was taken to the hospital, and is expected to be OK. His injuries were to his head and shoulder. 

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said crews were making repairs much of the day.

The incident forced all traffic to New Jersey into the truck lanes leading to the upper level of the bridge. Delays were extensive.

"Fuel costs time, money, frustration, eats at your patience," Washington Heights resident Carlos Cardenales said.

Second incident of falling debris in a week

Just last week, John Toledo was driving on the bridge's upper level approach when a ceiling component crashed down and did significant damage to his vehicle.

A video of the incident went viral.

Former New York City Traffic Commissioner "Gridlock Sam" Schwartz said what happened is red flag for engineers.

"When concrete starts falling, it's not a one-off. Now, two pieces have fallen in the past week. The Port Authority and I'm sure the city of New York are taking a hard look at that," Schwartz said.

Editor's note: This article was updated on 5/14/26 to clarify the person struck was a man.