Fort Lee Mayor: Christie Should Stay in Trenton Until Investigation Is Complete

Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich said Thursday that he'd prefer if Gov. Chris Christie did not visit the borough to apologize for George Washington Bridge lane closures until a full investigation of the incident is completed.

UPDATE: Sokolich accepted Christie's apology when the governor arrived in Fort Lee Thursday afternoon. Read more here.

Christie publicly apologized earlier in the day for lane closures in Fort Lee and said he would come to Bergen County to apologize to the mayor and residents in person.

"We're grateful to the governor for the offer, he certainly wouldn't be shunned, but...we would ask that this visit come once this investigation is either over or all of the material facts have surfaced," Sokolich said at his own press conference Thursday afternoon.

"It appears there are still some untold chapters here," Sokolich said.

Sokolich told reporters that state police had called to make arrangements for a helicopter to land at Fort Lee High School.

He suggested Christie would be better off "saving the gas" and not flying there Thursday.

Sokolich wouldn't say how much he believed the lane closures had affected emergency response times, but reports have surfaced that they were significantly slowed by traffic delays.

"We endure combat here every single day dealing with that bridge traffic," Sokolich said. "When there is an event and gridlock occurs, we deal with it."