Arisme McGregor, of Bellport, ticketed for driving with mannequin in HOV lane of LIE, police say

A Long Island driver found out the hard way that two means two when it comes to driving in the HOV lane on the Long Island Expressway — and the plus-one needs to be a real person.

A Suffolk County Police Highway Patrol officer stopped Arisme McGregor, 33, of Bellport, Thursday evening while he was driving in the HOV lane of the LIE near Exit 50 in Melville after the officer became "suspicious" of the front-seat "passenger" in McGregor's 1998 Honda, police said in a statement.

That passenger was really a mannequin being used "in an attempt to make it look like there was a passenger in the vehicle" so the driver could use the HOV lane, the statement said.

Vehicles using the HOV lane between 6 and 10 a.m. and 3 and 8 p.m. must have at least two occupants, including the driver, according to state law. There are exceptions, which include vehicles with Clean Pass stickers.

Police said as a result of the stop, McGregor was ticketed for HOV occupancy violations, as well as for having illegal window tinting.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”