Judge dismisses tickets in Tigermobile episode

Though Skimmer Day happened over last year's Homecoming Weekend, its effects are still being felt today by Junior Class Board President Jason Diaz. Diaz, who was issued three tickets for driving the "Tigermobile" down Locust Walk in November, won his case to have them dismissed last week in Philadelphia Traffic Court. The "Tigermobile" was a 1974 Ford Maverick, which was painted black and orange by the Junior Class Board. The words "Penn Sucks" were printed on the trunk. Diaz, a College junior, was ticketed for careless driving, driving an unregistered vehicle and driving without a license. "We thought that within the theme of homecoming and the Princeton-Penn rivalry, we'd buy a car, paint it and smash it as a symbol of the spirit of the weekend," Diaz said last week. "We started driving up Locust to Steinberg Dietrich when the police stopped me halfway there." Diaz said he obtained permission to drive and park the car on Locust Walk from Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta and from Physical Plant. "The cops were never notified so they gave me the three tickets," he said. The fines which arose from the tickets totaled $334. If Diaz had been found guilty, his insurance premiums would also have gone up $300 a year for three years. "For me, the situation was very serious given the losses I faced," he said. Diaz's lawyer, Alan Tauber, of the Philadelphia firm Fineman and Bach, agreed to take the case on a pro bono basis, Diaz said. Tauber serves as the attorney for the Undergraduate Assembly. Tauber fought the case by refuting the three charges, Diaz said, and Judge Charles Cuffeld proceeded to dismiss them. Diaz's witness, College junior Jerome Schneider, was one of the people who helped clear Locust Walk in order for Diaz to drive the car. "We went through all the proper channels and because we cleared the way, we didn't get the careless driving ticket," he said. "We ended up prevailing," added Schneider, who was Skimmer Day chairperson. "I am really relieved that this whole thing is over," Diaz said. "We're now ready to plan for next year's Skimmer Day. "You never know," he added. "There may even be another Tigermobile."