MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Ore. — Deputies are telling drivers whose vehicles may have been dyed red to contact their insurance carrier, after a truck driver spilled dye on multiple freeways in Oregon.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that a tractor trailer was carrying a red-colored dye that began to leak on multiple roads across the state. Several photos shared by deputies with the news release show the truck’s rear tires coated in red dye and long stretches of road splashed with color.
Deputies said in the news release that they contacted the truck’s driver, identified as Junior Jean, who said that he was carrying a load of red dye used to color mulch. Jean told deputies that he stopped to inspect the leak after another driver flagged him down but continued driving despite the leak.
The driver told deputies that the company he works for, which was not named, told him to keep driving to his destination after he told them about the leak, The Oregonian reported.
Deputies said that the driver described the dye as liquid soluble, meaning it washes away with water. In an updated news release, the sheriff’s office said that any drivers with questions about their vehicles should contact their personal insurance carriers. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office police report number for the incident is 22-52117.
Jean was cited for operating with a sifting or leaking load, criminal mischief in the third degree and reckless driving.