Last month, Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar introduced the “Ghostbuster Act,” a new bill aimed at cracking down on the use of counterfeit license plates and enhancing the enforcement of untraceable ghost cars using Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) in New York City.
As part of “Public Safety Week,” Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that 73,000 ghost cars and illegal motorized vehicles have been removed from NYC streets since the start of Adams’ administration. Ghost cars, which are nearly impossible to trace by traffic cameras and toll readers due to forged or altered plates, pose significant safety and enforcement challenges.
In 2024 alone, the NYPD and DSNY removed over 7,500 ghost cars and 27,000 illegal motorized vehicles. Since the launch of a joint task force in September, more than 5,000 ghost cars have been taken off the streets.
Rajkumar’s “Ghostbuster Act” seeks to build on this progress by empowering law enforcement to boot or tow vehicles with fake plates, revoke recognition of out-of-state paper plates, and confiscate tools used to obscure plates, further bolstering efforts to combat this public safety issue.
“Together, we are going to exorcise the ghost plates haunting New York City,” Rajkumar stated. “This is part of my larger push to improve the quality of life in New York City.”
Earlier this year, she also championed the SMOKEOUT Act, which led to the closure of over 1,200 illegal smoke shops, and Priscilla’s Law, which requires registration, insurance, and inspection for e-bikes. Rajkumar represents the 38th Assembly District, which includes Glendale, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, and Woodhaven.
Ghost cars and other illegal vehicles pose public safety risks and are increasingly being used in violent crimes, including shootings and robberies, as well as in traffic offenses like hit-and-runs. They also deprive taxpayers of millions of dollars in unpaid tolls and fees that could otherwise be invested in government services.
“Our kids, families, and all New Yorkers must feel safe and be safe in our city, but ghost cars contribute to the feeling of disorder, and that’s why our administration has pumped the brakes on using these illegal vehicles,” said Mayor Adams.
“While outlaws use fraudulent, defaced, or non-existent license plates and other illegal vehicles to commit and evade accountability for serious crimes, including shootings, robberies, and hit-and-runs, thanks to our partnership across city and state agencies, we have taken more than 73,000 ghost cars and illegal vehicles off New York City’s streets since the start of our administration. We are not going to stand by while people break the law, defraud our city, and endanger the public.”
In 2023, the NYPD confiscated over 18,000 illegal and unregistered motorized scooters, bikes, and ATVs – the highest number in city history – representing a 128 % increase from 2022.
“Ghost plates and toll evasion cost our state millions each year, which is why we launched a city-state task force to crack down on these offenders and worked with the legislature this year to strengthen enforcement actions,” said Gov. Hochul.
“Working in partnership with Mayor Adams and law enforcement, we are prioritizing the safety of all New Yorkers by removing these vehicles from our streets and ensuring these brazen actions do not go unchecked any longer.”
This work builds on additional ongoing efforts to combat ghost cars. In March, Adams and Hochul helped launch another task force across multiple agencies, which completed 58 operations, including 700 arrests and over 32,000 summonses. The task force seized 3,198 vehicles whose owners owed a total of over $27.3 million in unpaid tolls, taxes, fees, and more.
“Ghost plates and the vehicles that use them have long been a plague on the streets of New York City,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “But the days of motorists getting away with it are over. When you are caught driving or parking a ghost vehicle, you will be stopped and, when necessary, arrested. Your vehicle will also be impounded. I assure everyone that all of our interagency task forces are fully dedicated to this critical work of ensuring public safety.”
