Teen arrested with stolen truck thinking bridge checkpoint was a tollbooth

Authorities have arrested a Houston teenager accused of stealing a truck, driving to Matamoros and driving back into the U.S. thinking the international bridge checkpoint was only a tollbooth, officials said.

Eric Michael Astorga, 18, was arrested Tuesday morning at Gateway International Bridge by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and later charged with theft by Brownsville police, said police spokesman Sgt. Jimmy Manrrique.

The arrest took place when Astorga drove a beige 2006 Chevrolet Silverado to an inspection booth where CBP officers discovered the vehicle was stolen and arrested him, Manrrique said.

Once in custody, Astorga told officers that he had been hired to steal the truck in Houston and take it to Matamoros for $900, the police spokesman said.

"He was supposed to make a stop in Brownsville to make contact with someone before taking the truck over," Manrrique said. "He drove into Matamoros and, once he realized where he was, he turned around to come back into Brownsville thinking that the checkpoint at the bridge was only a tollbooth."