Security cameras captured an out-of-control scene at a New Jersey motel, as a fight between two men broke out and escalated to the point where one repeatedly tried to run the other one over with a car.
The stunning new surveillance video from outside the Lincoln Tunnel Motel shows the bloody brawl in North Bergen begin Wednesday morning, with fists flying between two men who eventually wrestled each other to the ground — and it only continued from there.
Police said the fight started when the suspect was helping a friend who had just been evicted. Sometime later, the victim arrives, and police believe he and the suspect knew each other. Almost instantly, the two get into a fight.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
One of the men got into a car and drove straight toward the other man, who investigators said was hit in the legs. As the car lurched forward one of the times, it plowed into the door of one of the rooms, leaving the door badly damaged.
Police said the victim was struck about three or four times in all, and while he suffered injuries, none were considered to be life-threatening.
As police arrived at the scene, the suspect then backed up into an officer's vehicle before he could get away. But he was trapped in and soon after exited the car, his hands in the air, his face bloodied. The 42-year-old driver from West New York faces charges including aggravated assault.
His Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, was left a complete mess.
The motel owner, Brian Arya, was working during the incident and is still in disbelief. It was during the same shift that a man became irate after trying to rent a room, then started throwing rocks at the motel's windows — and even smashing the back window of Arya's car.
"This is pretty scary but we’re trying to clean up this place," Arya said, adding that it won't deter him.
Arya has gained quite the following on TikTok, as his nearly one million followers tune in to his videos showing what it's like running a motel on a day-to-day basis. He also garnered lots of attention after offering free rooms to people who are in need.
The motel has a bad reputation with local police, who said they get called there about three times a day. They're working with management to help clean it up.
