A city transportation worker crashed his minivan into a tree on Staten Island, and cops found a stockpile of assault weapons, knives and drugs in his vehicle – and a chilling sign that read “Hang Cheney,” police said yesterday.
Glen Kittel, 46, a traffic-sign installer – who hails from a family of cops and firefighters – was critically injured in Wednesday’s 11:15 p.m. smashup at Targee and Baltic streets.
Cops briefly closed the roads near the Staten Island Expressway, alarmed over the cache of some 15 high-powered guns and gunpowder found in Kittel’s mangled Chevy Astro.
Weapons recovered from the vehicle included a loaded tommy gun, a shotgun, three high-powered assault rifles, a 3-foot-long samurai sword and a pharmacopoeia of Xanax, Valium and cocaine.
The Secret Service was called in to join the investigation because of the 20-year Department of Transportation worker’s potential threat to Vice President Dick Cheney.
Police said the burly Kittel was extricated from his vehicle by firefighters using the Jaws of Life. He was in critical but stable condition.
Police have charged Kittel with DWI, 52 counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of drug possession.