Cops: Motorcyclist angry over driver's cell phone use faces charges

A Lindenhurst motorcyclist who was angry with a fellow motorist on the Southern State Parkway because she was using her cell phone was arrested Tuesday afternoon in what State Police said was a road-rage incident.

Anthony Franchino, 40, of 288 N. Indiana Ave., was driving his motorcycle east on the parkway near Exit 36 in Farmingdale when Trooper Kenneth Pantol saw him impeding traffic in the center and right lanes and gesturing toward a woman driving a black Honda, according to a report.

After being pulled over, Franchino told a trooper that he was upset because the driver was using her cell phone, so he "took matters into his own hands," the report said.

Franchino was charged with disorderly conduct and impeding the flow of traffic.

Arraignment information was not immediately available.