Ghost plates crackdown: Officials impound 286 vehicles, arrest 58 people for toll violations in September

MTA Bridge and Tunnel officers, the NYPD, and other law-enforcement agencies seized 286 vehicles and made 58 arrests during a September crackdown on ghost plates and persistent toll violators, officials said Monday.

The multiagency task force cracking down on deadbeat drivers has conducted 44 operations so far this year that have resulted in 2,449 vehicles impounded and 521 arrests, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said. The violators have amassed approximately $17 million in unpaid tolls throughout the year, officials said.

"September saw six operations where Bridge and Tunnel officers joined our regional partners to fight against the ghost plates some people use to avoid paying their tolls," MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan said. "This behavior won’t be tolerated. Pay your tolls, don’t risk losing your car."

A ghost plate is a license plate that is obscured or unreadable, which drivers use to avoid tolls and traffic cameras.

Authorities impounded the 2,449 vehicles for a variety of reasons, including suspended registrations due to unpaid tolls, unregistered vehicles and suspended licenses.

A Sept. 4 enforcement operation at the Queens Midtown Tunnel resulted in six arrests, 32 impounded vehicles, and 547 summonses, authorities said. A Sept. 9 operation at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge ended with 15 arrests, 74 impounded vehicles and 537 summons. Officials also arrested six people, impounded 33 vehicles and issued 556 summonses at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge on Sept. 14.

Eight people were arrested, 49 vehicles were impounded and 750 summonses were issued on Sept. 17 at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, officials said. An enforcement action at the Throgs Neck Bridge on Sept. 20 ended with 15 arrests, 53 impounded vehicles and 756 summonses. A Sept. 30 crackdown on the Henry Hudson Bridge concluded with eight arrests, 44 seized vehicles and 814 summonses.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels, through tolls and fees collected, has recovered more than 98% of the tolls owed by recidivist toll scofflaws since the inception of its DMV Registration Suspension Program.

This enforcement aligns with a coordinated strategy by MTA Bridges and Tunnels, New York City and state law-enforcement partners, who announced a joint effort against obstructed and counterfeit license plates last year. Since the start of the Open Road Tolling program, Bridge and Tunnel officers have interdicted more than 11,000 vehicles for persistent nonpayment of tolls.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels has sent more than 30,000 judgment warning notices to registered vehicle owners who are part of a group that collectively owes $665 million in unpaid tolls and violation fees. Almost $350,000 has been collected through this effort so far.

The interagency operation included MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officers, MTA Police, NYPD, Port Authority Police, New York State Police, New York City Sheriff’s Office, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, and Taxi and Limousine Commission Police.