STATEN ISLAND -- Mayor Bill de Blasio and his security detail appeared to have been in a rush today to get to a press conference about Lyme disease in Annadale Monday afternoon, according to the account of a City Hall reporter.

Ahead of a press conference in Annadale on Lyme disease and ticks, a New York Post reporter spotted two of de Blasio's security vehicles cross a double yellow line to drive on the opposite side of the road and run a red light.

"Mayor's 2-car caravan just passed the press van I'm in, which was stopped at a red light," Post reporter Yoav Gonen said on Twitter. "They crossed a double yellow line to drive on the wrong side of the road to go through a red light -- on the way to a press conference on Staten Island #visionzero"

The Advance reached out to the mayor's press team to confirm the reports, but an NYPD spokesperson declined to comment, saying the department does not comment "on the security of any dignitary the NYPD's protects for their own safety [sic]."

MAYOR HEADS TO ANNADALE DINER FOR 'CLOSED PRESS' EVENT

After Hizzoner attended the press conference at Blue Heron Park, he hit the road with Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore) and grabbed a bite to eat at the Annadale Terrace Diner.

The visit came after the South Shore councilman challenged the mayor to have informal discussions with constituents on the South Shore where is unpopular.

"It was productive. As everyone knows I'm pretty blunt and the conversation was polite and direct," Borelli said of the visit.

Although the mayor's visit did not appear on his public schedule, the mayor's press team tried to prevent the Advance from being at the diner or taking a picture of the pair eating.

A mayoral spokesperson told the Advance it was a "closed press" event and tried to prevent an Advance reporter from taking photographs of the pair, despite the distinction of the "closed press" lunch not stated anywhere on the mayor's public schedule announcements.

Councilman @JoeBorelliNYC and @NYCMayor share a bite at the Annandale Terrace Diner. @BilldeBlasio’s press team tries to prevent me from coming in and taking a pic even tho it did not say anywhere on the mayor’s sked the event was closed press pic.twitter.com/iS2qTGZOQc — Sydney Kashiwagi (@SydneyKashiwagi) July 23, 2018

Borelli said he and the mayor spent 1.5 hours together at the diner discussing everything from property tax reform to the need for Staten Island to have a new special needs preschool program after the Gingerbread Learning Center decided to close its doors in August.

The South Shore councilman said he and de Blasio visited almost every table in the restaurant and spoke to constituents about commercial real estate taxes, the cost of doing business in the city, and helping a tenant from Manhattan in the city's Housing Authority get a refrigerator fixed.

Borelli also said the mayor was greeted by an unlikely Democratic supporter from the South Shore who applauded his administration for going after President Donald Trump.

"When he visits parts of the city I think it's important he gets whatever unique perspective that part of the city offers and I think he got that from spending the afternoon in the diner," Borelli said.

"My goal was for him to meet people that were not planted that more than likely did not vote for him and he met them," he continued.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.