Recent Update! 21 Arrests in MTA Crackdown: Ghost Plates, Toll Violators Targeted

NEW YORK: Transit officials stated on Sunday that during a joint two-day interagency operation aimed at stopping persistent toll violators and ghost plates, MTA Bridges and Tunnels officers, the NYPD, and regional law enforcement partners made 21 arrests, impounded 21 vehicles, and issued 793 summonses.

The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge saw a crackdown on Thursday, and the Throgs Neck Bridge, George Washington Bridge, and Lincoln Tunnel saw action on Friday.

Officers seized 21 cars over this period for a variety of infractions, according to officials, including unpaid tolls, unregistered cars, suspended licenses, and other moving violations.

To settle the $586,000 in unpaid tolls and fees, judgments, and obligations the scofflaws accrued, twenty-one persons were detained and 793 summonses were issued.

“Intense enforcement measures have paid off handsomely and, hopefully, have conveyed to all lawbreakers and would-be lawbreakers that trying to elude paying the toll at any crossing within the metropolitan area will only result in increased costs,” stated MTA B&T President Catherine Sheridan.

Those apprehended red-handed included a driver of an Escalade with multiple license suspensions and a driver of a flatbed 18-wheeler with a modified license plate.

Authorities took possession of the 18-wheeler and arrested the driver of the Escalade.

In 2022–2023, MTA B&T vehicle seizures increased by 46.6%, and officers issued 15% more tickets for license plate obstructions. In the previous year, 2,731 cars were seized and 17,865 tickets were given to drivers.

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“At our crossings, drivers should pause and reconsider if they think they can escape paying their debts. Port Authority Police Superintendent Edward Cetnar threatened to prosecute you if you were to get caught. “We have an unwavering commitment to equity and enforcement on our roadways.”

As of this year, 3,000 summonses have already been sent out, and according to MTA B&T, 98% of the tolls that recidivist toll evaders owe have been recovered since the program’s inception.

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the NYPD, the Port Authority Police, the MTA B&T police, and the New York City Sheriff’s Office were all involved in the interagency operation.

The goal of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban’s multiagency task force, he stated, is to find every hazardous, unregistered “ghost” automobile in the city.