MTA Bridges and Tunnels, the NYPD and regional law enforcement partners announced the results of their 11th interagency task force operation, focused mainly on the crossing to the Rockaways, to remove ghost vehicles and crack down on persistent toll violators.
Officers seized 57 vehicles for a number of violations, including unpaid tolls, unregistered vehicles and suspended licenses, among other traffic infractions, on Wednesday, May 8, at the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Bridge, and additional enforcement at the George Washington Bridge, Goethals Bridge and Bayonne Bridge.
The scofflaws had amassed nearly $302,000 in unpaid tolls and fees, judgments, and debts. The operation also resulted in 19 arrests and 100 summonses.
“This latest crackdown was a great start. And I’d like to see more of these across the city — especially during the busy summer months,” Council Member Joann Ariola said. “Unregistered vehicles, especially ghost cars with fake paper plates, have been a huge plague on our streets for far too long.”
MTA Bridges and Tunnels operated seven bridges and two tunnels handling 336 million vehicle crossings per year. Through 11 joint enforcement operations, officers have seized 675 vehicles, made 161 arrests and have issued 4,771 summonses.
With the addition of the U.S. Park Police, the interagency task force now includes nine law enforcement agencies working in concert. They use a variety of tools to identify violators and impound vehicles, including DMV registration suspensions, roadside interdictions and data-driven intelligence to continuously identify persistent toll violators.
“This crackdown sends a message, but we need more checkpoints like the ones we saw last week in order to really tamp down on the issue and get these scofflaws off of our streets once and for all,” Ariola said.
The latest enforcement operation aligns with a coordinated strategy by MTA Bridges and Tunnels and city and state law enforcement partners, who launched a joint effort against obstructed and counterfeit license plates last year. Since the start of Open Road Tolling, Bridge and Tunnel officers have seized more than 9,500 vehicles for persistent non-payment of tolls.
Motorists can avoid violation fees and registration suspensions by paying their toll bills on time, using the TollsNY free mobile app to pay tolls or managing their E-ZPass accounts.
