STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York authorities were out again to continue their enforcement efforts against ghost plates and toll evaders on Staten Island, police confirmed.
As part of a multi-agency operation by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and partner law enforcement agencies, vehicles were being pulled over on the Brooklyn-bound side of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the NYPD said.
Police declined to provide details of the operation, but witnesses reported seeing numerous vehicles pulled over and towed from the bridge.
“So many cars getting towed and leaving owners stranded and walking off the bridge ramp to catch a ride,” one person who posted to social media claimed to have seen.
Since the crackdown began in March 2024, the MTA has initiated over 100 crackdowns on “ghost cars,” which are vehicles that use forged or altered license plates to evade tolls, according to the agency.
In that time, more than 5,400 drivers had their vehicles stopped and towed due to suspended registrations or fraudulent and obstructed license plates.
In this file photo, law enforcement vehicles target scofflaws on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, cracking down on ghost plates and toll evasion.(Advance/SILive.com }| Jan Somma-Hammel
The MTA previously stated that, this year, such operations have resulted in nearly 2,000 towed vehicles, and the recovery of over $11.5 million in unpaid tolls and fines.
“Ghost plates and toll evasion cost our state millions each year and impede our efforts to build a mass transit system that benefits everyone,” Gov. Kathy Hochul previously said.
“Our heightened enforcement efforts are cracking down on the brazen lawlessness that has gone unchecked for too long, and our message is simple: Enough is enough.”
The MTA referred the Advance/SILive.com to the NYPD for further information regarding Tuesday’s enforcement operations.
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