Waving American flags and signs decrying vaccine mandates, hundreds of people lined overpass bridges and highway shoulders around New Jersey to cheer on a truck and vehicle convoy, part of a loosely organized series of protests around the country Saturday.

By mid-morning Saturday, hundreds of passenger vehicles and trucks snaked up and down Route 17 in Bergen County, honking at the throngs of supporters waving signs at them from overpasses and highway shoulders.

"Take the masks off the kids," said Jason George, a West Paterson resident who watched trucks roll by and planned to join the convoy later. "We really just want to get back to normal."