# Driver found shot on George Washington Bridge dies, closing upper level westbound

Developing: Port Authority police found a driver with a gunshot wound to the head after a reported one-car crash Tuesday night. He later died, according to police sources cited by ABC7. No arrest had been reported.

By The Signal Edition | News / Transportation
Published: 2026-10-21T04:35:17Z
Updated: 2026-10-21T04:35:17Z
Canonical: https://www.thesignaledition.com/article/george-washington-bridge-14bpvpu
Image: https://www.thesignaledition.com/media/00777354a72641442e77894ca786e100.jpg (File photo of the George Washington Bridge spanning the Hudson River, seen from Riverside Drive in Manhattan; credit: Eric Sorenson (Sorens) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5))

## Summary
- Port Authority police responded just after 7 p.m. Tuesday to a reported one-vehicle crash on the bridge's westbound upper level and found the driver with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
- The man was taken to Englewood Medical Center in New Jersey, where he later died, according to police sources cited by ABC7 New York.
- The westbound upper level was closed for the investigation, backing traffic up through the Bronx; no arrest had been reported.
- Police have not publicly identified the driver, a suspect or a motive.

## What happened

A driver found with a gunshot wound on the George Washington Bridge on Tuesday night has died, according to police sources cited by ABC7 New York. Port Authority police officers were called just after 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 to reports of a one-vehicle crash on the westbound upper level, on the stretch closer to the New Jersey side, a Port Authority spokesperson told the station. [2](https://abc7ny.com/post/george-washington-bridge-shooting-male-shot-upper-level/19962056/)

Responding officers found the driver with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head, CBS New York and ABC7 reported. He was taken to Englewood Medical Center in New Jersey. CBS New York initially reported that he was in critical condition; ABC7 later reported, citing police sources, that he died at the hospital. [1](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/george-washington-bridge-upper-level-closed/) [2](https://abc7ny.com/post/george-washington-bridge-shooting-male-shot-upper-level/19962056/)

VINnews, citing the New York Post and its police sources, described the shooting as a suspected drive-by and reported that the gunman fled. That account has not been confirmed by an on-the-record police statement. CBS New York reported that no arrests had been made and that the circumstances of the shooting were not immediately known. [3](https://vinnews.com/2026/10/20/motorist-fatally-shot-in-suspected-drive-by-shooting-on-george-washington-bridge/) [1](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/george-washington-bridge-upper-level-closed/)

## Closures and traffic

The NYPD said the westbound side of the upper level was temporarily closed because of the shooting, according to CBS New York. All westbound lanes on that level were shut, creating a backup that stretched across the Bronx to the Major Deegan Expressway, while inbound traffic toward Manhattan slowed to a crawl, the station reported. Commercial vehicles can use only the upper level, which added to the disruption. [1](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/george-washington-bridge-upper-level-closed/)

ABC7 reported that the investigation snarled traffic in both directions and that the westbound upper level remained closed as of Tuesday night. One eastbound lane on the upper roadway that had been closed later reopened, the station said. A full reopening time for the westbound side had not been reported in the sources reviewed. [2](https://abc7ny.com/post/george-washington-bridge-shooting-male-shot-upper-level/19962056/)

## What is not known

Officials have not released the driver's name or age, and no suspect description or motive has been made public. The Port Authority Police Department is leading the investigation, CBS New York reported. VINnews, again citing the New York Post, said investigators were reviewing security camera footage to identify the person responsible. [1](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/george-washington-bridge-upper-level-closed/) [3](https://vinnews.com/2026/10/20/motorist-fatally-shot-in-suspected-drive-by-shooting-on-george-washington-bridge/)

The death has so far been reported through police sources rather than a formal statement, and details such as where the shots came from and whether the crash happened before or after the driver was hit remain unconfirmed. [2](https://abc7ny.com/post/george-washington-bridge-shooting-male-shot-upper-level/19962056/) [3](https://vinnews.com/2026/10/20/motorist-fatally-shot-in-suspected-drive-by-shooting-on-george-washington-bridge/)

## Background

The George Washington Bridge, opened in 1931, links New Jersey with Upper Manhattan across the Hudson River. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is midway through a roughly $2 billion restoration program, Streetsblog NYC reported, with work planned to continue toward the span's centennial. [4](https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/10/16/cyclists-and-pedestrians-finally-get-their-own-paths-on-the-george-washington-bridge-except-at-night)

The shooting came less than a week after the agency reopened the bridge's rebuilt South Walk on Oct. 15, the eighth of 11 projects in the program to be completed, according to Construction Dive. Further updates on the victim's identity, the investigation and the reopening of the westbound upper level are expected from Port Authority police. [5](https://www.constructiondive.com/news/nyc-george-washington-bridge-rehab-completes-8th-11-projects/833265/)

## Reporting sources
1. [CBS New York: Shooting on George Washington Bridge causes upper level closure](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/george-washington-bridge-upper-level-closed/) (2026-10-21T01:11:00Z)
2. [ABC7 New York: Driver found shot on upper level of George Washington Bridge dies: police sources](https://abc7ny.com/post/george-washington-bridge-shooting-male-shot-upper-level/19962056/) (2026-10-20T23:59:00Z)
3. [VINnews: Motorist Fatally Shot In Suspected Drive-by Shooting On George Washington Bridge](https://vinnews.com/2026/10/20/motorist-fatally-shot-in-suspected-drive-by-shooting-on-george-washington-bridge/) (2026-10-21T02:09:00Z)
4. [Streetsblog NYC: Cyclists and Pedestrians Finally Get Their Own Paths on the George Washington Bridge (Except at Night)](https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/10/16/cyclists-and-pedestrians-finally-get-their-own-paths-on-the-george-washington-bridge-except-at-night) (2026-10-16T04:07:00Z)
5. [Construction Dive: 13-year, $2B NYC bridge rehab completes latest project](https://www.constructiondive.com/news/nyc-george-washington-bridge-rehab-completes-8th-11-projects/833265/) (2026-10-16)