The Bridge and Tunnel Officers have access to the administration building which is located on the Brooklyn side of the Marine Parkway Bridge. Right behind the administration building is a locked trailer. Recording equipment is in that trailer and the officers do not have access to the trailer.
The tape in question is surveillance tape of the Cross Bay Bridge which is approximately three miles east of the Marine Parkway Bridge. There are also surveillance cameras in the administration building, the parking lot, and in the toll lanes.
The tail was fished out of the bay just west of the Cross Bay Bridge and the impact site is approximately midpoint between the two bridges
I was told that the FBI and the NTSB came that day (11/12) to retrieve the tape, but TBTA/MTA would not release it to them. They did hand it over a few days later.
And to answer your question, no, the men did not see the tape...but they never see any of the tapes. The rumor is that the plane shows up on the tape, it shows something falling off, and it shows it crashing. I specifically asked my friend about an explosion, but he said he hadn’t heard anything about that.