The author of this modern tale of woe is not known. The story in various incarnations is all over the internet.

In order to get from Staten Island to the job in Manhattan, a young man started a ridesharing program with a few other Islanders. To get into the city it is necessary to take the Broooklyn Battery Tunnel (BBT) each day. This tunnel is the longest underwater tunnel in the US, but it. is only 2 lanes wide, and these lanes are very narrow.

Last week there was an accident in the BBT just a few cars ahead. Traffic got stuck in the long, narrow tunnel for over 2 hours. Towards the end of that time, the young man had a severe panic attack, got claustrophibic, had trouble breathing, etc. He saw a doctor the following weekend, and he was told that he had a problem that is quite common nowadays in New York, the carpool tunnel syndrome.