GLOUCESTER, N.J. -- SWAT teams rushed a man who had held them at bay for hours Thursday on the Walt Whitman Bridge.

The hostage crisis had the 11,981-foot, seven-lane bridge shut down for hours, stranding thousands at the height of the evening rush.

Some drivers had to be rushed out of the danger area.

The suspect, who turned out to have nothing more than a baseball bat and a toy gun, is now in custody.

The standoff lasted three-and-a-half hours, and traffic backed up for miles in all directions.

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Images | Video
Raw Videos: SUV Empties | Standoff Ends
Earlier Reports: Bridge Closes | Prior Police Contact
Link: Real-Time Traffic

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New Jersey State Police said 35-year-old Johnny Reid IV, of Winslow Township, is the man who caused a rush-hour nightmare for thousands of commuters.

Police said Reid, during the standoff, repeatedly claimed that he was being persecuted by the government and said he wanted to speak with a local television news anchor, as well as Sen. Barack Obama's wife.

"Tell Michelle Obama to check her e-mail," Reid said, as he was led into the Bellmawr state police barracks.

Authorities said it all began at about 4:20 p.m. when a state trooper tried to pull over the white Cadillac Escalade that Reid was driving for speeding on the Route 42 Freeway in Gloucester Township.

Investigators said that Reid, with his 31-year-old girlfriend, Monica Hayman, and the couple's 1-year-old son also in the SUV, Reid kept going.

A police pursuit followed only to be called off soon after when Reid allegedly began driving erratically.

He ended up stopping in the middle of the Walt Whitman Bridge surrounded by thousands of stranded commuters. A Delaware River Port Authority police officer quickly arrived, NBC 10's Ted Greenberg reported.

"He had a baseball bat on him and a young baby in the other arm, and he was swinging at the vehicles going by. He did make contact with two of the vehicles that had minor damage on them," port authority Police Chief Vincent Borrelli said. "When (the sergeant) wanted to approach him, he threatened him back with a weapon he brandished -- he thought it was a weapon when he opened his coat, and it turned out to be a plastic gun."

A three-hour standoff followed, during which SWAT teams and hostage negotiators rushed to the scene.

A Philadelphia Police Homeland Security command vehicle responded to the scene. So did the U.S. Coast Guard with a ship staged in the river below the bridge in case anyone was thrown or jumped.

Around 7:30 p.m., Reid was convinced to peacefully surrender. He and Hayman were taken into custody, and the baby was put into the hands of police.

"I'm pretty ecstatic because, you know, I'm a father of four myself, and that was kind of one of the things I was using. I didn't want to see a child get hurt, and I assured them that that absolutely wasn't going to happen," said the state police hostage negotiator, Detective. Sgt. Chris Leone.

State police said Thursday night they were still trying to figure out exactly which charges would be filed in the case.

Also unclear was whether Hayman might be charged. Investigators said she was not being held against her will.

The baby was said to be in good condition at Cooper Hospital in Camden and was being turned over to the custody of the state Division of Youth and Family Services.

Relatives and friends of the couple showed up at the state police barracks Thursday night but had little to say.

Greenberg reported that, according to state police, Reid went to a state police barracks in the last week and had a conversation with a sergeant there. Reid left after rambling about some problems in his hometown. That sergeant was among the responders called to Thursday's incident.

Standoff Strands Commuters On Bridge, Area Highways

Thursday's standoff was a nightmare for thousands of commuters.

At first, everyone thought it was a crash up on the bridge. Then, after not moving for a while, they got the hint when the Department of Homeland Security was going by.

Then, they began to fear the worst, like maybe it was a terrorist situation.

Fortunately, it wound up just being a huge inconvenience for them, NBC 10's Tim Furlong reported.

Officials urged motorists to avoid the bridge, offering the Ben Franklin, Tacony-Palmyra and Commodore Barry bridges as alternatives.

Delays on the northbound Route 42 Freeway extended back past Deptford. At the bridge split, everyone was being forced to go north on I-676 to Camden. Meanwhile, I-676 and the Admiral Wilson Boulevard piled up with traffic approaching the Ben Franklin.

On Pennsylvania side, there were delays in both directions on Interstate 95. Traffic also backed up on the Vine Street Expressway.

In an attempt to alleviate that situation, police closed off access from the Schuylkill Expressway to the Vine Street Expressway.

At about 9 p.m. traffic once again began moving across the bridge -- a full four-and-a-half hours after many drivers got stopped up on the bridge.

"I had a panic attack on the bridge," said Krista Jenkins, who had just come from a college tour at Villanova.

She got so worked up over the situation that police had to drive her off the bridge just to calm her down.

"As soon as I saw the sniper guy walk by, then the SWAT team drove by, then Homeland Security drove by, then the last armored truck and I was like, I couldn't take it," Jenkins said.

"We wanted out. We wanted out of the bridge," said a few women from South Philly, who tried to go shopping in Atlantic City.

They never made it there. They did hoof it back to the port authority for a bathroom stop.

Police were most concerned about folks like a 93-year-old woman stuck on the bridge in a tense situation. They got her and anybody else who might have been a medical risk off the span.

Philadelphia police Chief Inspector Scott Small said, "We also have to look at other necessities, such as were they going to the hospital? Are there any pregnant individuals involved?"

Jason Wilson's story seems more typical. He was a working guy trying to deliver some fresh seafood stuck on the bridge with a big box of salmon.

The Samuel & Sons Seafood employee was able to back off the bridge after three hours and said, all things considered, it really could have been worse.

"Once you got stuck you were stuck, and I'm sure police did the right thing and knew what they were doing. It was just one of those things you've got to deal with, I guess," Wilson said.

About 30 minutes after the standoff ended, police opened the right-hand lane on the eastbound side and began allowing traffic to move past the standoff scene.

The bridge stayed closed for some time as police investigated. It reopened completely just before 9 p.m.

Traffic was moving freely again at 10 p.m. over the bridge. NBC 10 was there when the stranded motorists got off the bridge and, yes, they had to pay the toll, Furlong reported.