If you see Jerry Zwack riding down the road, chances are, you'll be doing exactly what Heather Axelrod did.
"I was driving down the road and I had to snap a photo 'cause it's just unbelievable," she said. "I've never seen anything like it."
Most people haven't. Zwack thought he'd give it a try. A vehicle fit with a television and all.
"It all started with my wife saying I was sitting in the house doing nothing but being a couch potato. She said why don't you get out and do something? You're nothing but a couch potato," explained Zwack.
That's exactly what he did.
He started with the couch and worked backwards -- calling it reverse engineering.
"Just kind of scrounged household stuff, didn't want to spend much money on it, and it is what you see," he said. "The tiller here is a cane, my brake handle is a combination of an old refrigerator door and the spindle is the top of an old chair."
Turns out his makeshift vehicle doesn't just surprise folks. It makes people happy too.
"Turns out this thing is pretty therapeutic for me. I just did it as a gag for my wife. I'm retired, I just like driving it around," said Zwack. "..it's therapeutic for other people too. I put a lot of smiles on other people's faces which I didn't know that would happen."
People often stop Jerry to talk about the vehicle, which has become somewhat of a conversation starter.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 8:34 PM EDT2013-06-19 00:34:07 GMT
It's a sight that can trigger dread. The low-battery message appears on your cell phone when there's no charger around.
It's a sight that can trigger dread. The low-battery message appears on your cell phone when there's no charger around. Now New York City has teamed up with AT&T to install 25 solar powered charging stations over the summer.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 4:55 PM EDT2013-06-18 20:55:38 GMT
A man accused of fatally shooting a gay man walking with a companion in New York City's Greenwich Village pleaded not guilty.
A man accused of fatally shooting a gay man walking with a companion in New York City's Greenwich Village afterward claimed that he opened fire because the victim "thought he was tough in front of his bitch," prosecutors said in court papers Tuesday.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 3:46 PM EDT2013-06-18 19:46:32 GMT
Photo courtesy of @N42_21_W71_04)
Riders should anticipate cancellations and delays on the Long Island Rail Road for the Tuesday evening rush. The railroad has canceled 21 trains that normally leave Penn Station between 3:27 and 7:01 p.m.
Riders should anticipate cancellations and delays on the Long Island Rail Road for the Tuesday evening rush. The railroad has canceled 21 trains that normally leave Penn Station between 3:27 and 7:01 p.m.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 3:32 PM EDT2013-06-18 19:32:12 GMT
NYC
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps released Tuesday.
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps released Tuesday.In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, officials said last month, the number of zones would double and encompass about 600,000 more residents.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 3:05 PM EDT2013-06-18 19:05:09 GMT
Police are looking for a man who stabbed another man in Times Square Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.The victim was stabbed in the chest, the NYPD and FDNY said.
Police are looking for a man who stabbed another man in Times Square Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.The victim was stabbed in the chest, the NYPD and FDNY said.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 12:20 PM EDT2013-06-18 16:20:04 GMT
The director of the National Security Agency said Tuesday the government's sweeping surveillance programs have foiled some 50 terrorist plots worldwide, including one directed at the New York Stock Exchange.
The director of the National Security Agency said Tuesday the government's sweeping surveillance programs have foiled some 50 terrorist plots worldwide, including one directed at the New York Stock Exchange.
