The traffic jam to end all traffic jams and how it unfolded were at heart of testimony Tuesday in the Bridgegate criminal trial.
NEWARK -- Everything was fine, and the perks were good, until the mayor made it clear he wouldn't endorse Gov. Chris Christie's re-election bid.
That's the way Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich described his interaction with the governor's administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As a matter of fact, Sokolich, whose town sits at the base of the George Washington Bridge, routinely spoke to his go-to guy at the bi-state agency, Bill Baroni, Christie's top appointee, over a three-year stretch.
Sokolich said he was courted by the administration, receiving such benefits as a seat in the governor's box at MetLife Stadium and private tours of Ground Zero.
Then, on Sept. 9, 2013, after the administration learned he was not going to endorse the governor for re-election, traffic in the borough almost came to a standstill.
Sokolich's account was heard Tuesday, the first day of testimony in the Bridgegate trial, after Monday's opening arguments.
On Wednesday, prosecutors plan to continue questioning Sokolich.
Here are five notable quotes from the mayor and others during the first day of testimony:
1. "We were completely shut down."
That's how Sokolich, a lifelong Fort Lee resident, described the traffic.
"I'm not exaggerating there, we were completely shut down. It's now to the point where this gridlock was so bad that the side streets were now being consumed," Sokolich said. "You couldn't get within a mile of Main Street. We were completely shut down. No one could get anywhere. When I tell you no one could get anywhere, no one could get anywhere."
2. "I immediately knew that that was not going to be good."
It's what Fort Lee Police Chief Keith Bendul said after he learned of a "new traffic pattern" early on Sept. 9, 2013, the first day of the closures.
3. "It was the worst traffic we had to deal with, except for 9/11."
That's how Bendul described the severity of the traffic jams in Fort Lee. During the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Port Authority completely shut down the George Washington Bridge to traffic.
4. "That's a bucket list item for a small town mayor."
Before he allegedly was punished for not backing Christie, Sokolich said he was courted and wooed by the governor's administration. The mayor described a healthy relationship between him, Christie's administration and the Port Authority.
He testified about being invited to the governor's mansion, Drumthwacket, during Christie's first term.
"Absolutely, I went enthusiastically," Sokolich said. "That's a bucket list item for a small town mayor to have lunch with a governor and a very small crowd."
5. "I cooked for him one afternoon."
Sokolich described his close relationship with Matt Mowers, who in 2013 worked in Christie's administration's IGA office. Mowers, who worked on Christie's presidential campaign and now works with Republican nominee Donald Trump, was Sokolich's primary contact at IGA through much of Christie's time as governor.
"I would be in touch with him on a regular basis," Sokolich said. "And we would talk about various things, and we became pretty friendly. I mean, some of these meetings I had at my house. I cooked for him one afternoon."
Mowers was the person to prod Sokolich on whether he would endorse Christie for his re-election bid.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL.