Through 73 Joint Agency Operations, Officers Have Impounded 4,073 Vehicles, Issued 39,850 Summonses and Made 902 Arrests

View Photos of 2024-2025 Law Enforcement Operations

View Compilation Video of 2024-2025 Toll Enforcement Operations on YouTube Here and in TV Quality Format Here

Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bridges and Tunnels and the New York City Police Department (NYPD), along with regional law enforcement partners including MTA Police Department (MTAPD), New York State Police, Port Authority Police, New York City Sheriff's Office, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Police, New York City Business Integrity Commission and U.S. Park Police, today shared results of one year of operations following the launch of a multi-agency City and State-led task force dedicated to removing “ghost cars” — cars that are virtually untraceable by traffic cameras and toll readers because of their forged or altered license plates — from New York City streets. Since March 11, 2024, the task force conducted 73 toll enforcement operations, resulting in 902 arrests, more than 39,000 summonses and 4,073 interdicted vehicles for suspended registrations and fraudulent, obstructed or altered license plates. The last toll enforcement operation was held Friday, March 14. To further the regional approach in 2025, the police departments of Nassau County and Westchester County have joined the task force.

“The newest data released by our city-state task force on the removal of ghost cars sends a clear message: if you attempt to alter your license plate to avoid traffic cameras and toll readers, you will be caught,” Governor Hochul said. “The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority, and in coordination with our task force partners, we will continue to swiftly remove elusive vehicles from our roads.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “For too long, ghost cars and illegal mopeds and scooters have contributed to the feeling of disorder in New York City — but those days are in the past. We said we were not going to stand by while people break the law, defraud our city and endanger the public, and that message has been clearly delivered. Since its inception one year ago, our interagency task force between the City and State has removed more than 4,000 vehicles, wrote nearly 40,000 summonses and arrested more than 900 people — and we will not rest until New York City is a safer, more affordable city for everyone. I want to thank Governor Hochul, the NYPD, the New York City Sheriff’s Office, and all our other partners for their contributions to improving the safety and quality of life for all New Yorkers.”

From March 2024 through the end of the year, there were a total of 60 operations resulting in 734 arrests, 3,423 towed vehicles and 34,075 summonses issued. The amount owed from scofflaws stopped in 2024 amounted to $45.7 million in unpaid tolls and fees, judgments and debts. The most successful day in 2024 was Wednesday, May 1, 2024, on the Robert F. Kennedy, Third Ave, and Willis Ave bridges with 32 arrests, 770 summonses and 139 towed vehicles from an 8-hour enforcement operation.

So far in 2025, there have been 13 toll enforcement operations, which resulted in 168 arrests, 650 towed vehicles and 5,775 summonses issued, totaling an amount owed of approximately $4.6 million in unpaid tolls and fees, judgments and debts.

The primary focus of the task force’s work is to remove vehicles with fraudulent or modified license plates — and those with no tags at all — as these vehicles are often unregistered, uninsured, or stolen. While the illegal practice of forging or altering license plates is not new, the crime proliferated during the pandemic, with drivers masking their identities by using counterfeit temporary paper plates to evade detection. The fake “temp tags” appeared as though they were issued by out-of-state dealerships, making them difficult to verify. In some cases, vehicle operators in New York City used this cloak of anonymity to commit more serious violent crimes, including hit-and-runs, robberies and shootings.

As part of her comprehensive strategy on toll enforcement, Governor Hochul secured in the FY 2025 final Budget agreement an increase in fines and penalties for driving with altered plates, a prohibition of the sale or distribution of covers that obscure license plates and the restriction of DMV registration transactions for vehicles with suspended registrations for failure to pay tolls or failing to remove plate-obscuring materials. To encourage payment and equitable enforcement and better align with its regional partners, MTA Bridges and Tunnels also reduced fees assessed for toll violations on its major bridges and tunnels. These changes took effect September 1, 2024.

New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “Traffic safety is a top priority for the New York State Police, as we work each day to make New York roads safe to travel. Fraud and obstruction of any type of vehicle documentation along with toll evasion will not be permitted. We thank the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and our law enforcement partners for their continued collaborative efforts to catch those breaking our vehicle and traffic laws or refusing to pay their fair share.”

NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said, “New Yorkers deserve to not only be safe, but feel safe too — and for years, our community complained about their safety and quality of life being affected by illegal ghost cars. The criminals who operate these vehicles wreak havoc on every day New Yorkers and use the anonymity these fraudulent license plates provide to flee from shootings, robberies and other violent crimes. Because of the tireless work of the multi-agency task force, among others, we continue to drastically reduce the number of these untraceable vehicles from our neighborhoods. I want to thank Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams, our officers in the NYPD and all of our partner agencies for continuing to rid the streets of these nuisance vehicles and ensuring accountability of their operators.”

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “In case the message hasn’t gone through to toll-dodging drivers who cover their license plates — let me say it again: you are going to get caught and pay the price. If you evade the tolls, the police will stop you, they will take your car and you will be driven out — in a police car.”

MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan said, “We’re extremely proud of the work our B&T officers and partnering law enforcement agencies have done over the last year. This unprecedented coordination has resulted in regionwide success and the results speak for themselves — and we’re not slowing down. We’re continuously reviewing how we can make these operations more efficient and effective, including the use of new technology to amplify our efforts.”

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said, “We at DMV have been proud to work side by side with our partners on this task force for the last year, working to get ghost plates and ghost vehicles off New York’s roads and highways. This is a major public safety issue both in relation to crimes committed in cars without accurate license plate information and in drivers trying to use our roads without paying tolls and not helping to maintain the integrity of those roads. I commend Governor Hochul and our partners for this continued effort that has put the public on notice that vehicles without proper license plates will not be tolerated on New York roadways.”

Port Authority Police Superintendent Edward Cetnar said, “The success of this initiative underscores the power of collaboration in tackling toll evasion and illegal plates. In just one year, our united efforts have led to thousands of summonses and arrests, sending a clear message: those who cheat the system will face swift consequences. Together, we are ensuring accountability and fairness on our roads.”

New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda said, “Ghost vehicles and any devices used to obstruct the reading of license plates continue to be a major safety concern. Interagency enforcement efforts will continue to ensure compliance.”

Taxi and Limousine Chief of Patrol Jose Torres said, “Week in and week out, the Interagency Task Force has been increasing safety and justice for New Yorkers by removing dangerous and illegal vehicles from our streets and holding accountable the scofflaws who steal millions from the pockets of hardworking citizens by cheating the system. It's an example of what law enforcement can do when we come together with a singular goal, we do it with purpose and commitment, and I'm proud of the TLC officers who have played a part in this effort.”

Latest Technology Combating Ghost Plates and Toll Evasion
Drones
In 2024, MTA Bridges and Tunnels deployed drones to assist in revenue recovery. Essentially an aerial license plate reader; drones are feeding video into the License Plate Reader (LPR) system to search for a potential Persistent Toll Violator (PTV) match. The LPR systems are preloaded with the license plates of those whose registrations have been suspended by the DMV and when the LPR system detects one of these PTVs with a suspended registration, an alert is sent to the officer in the patrol car who can pull the vehicle over.

Mobile License Plate Reader Trailers
In 2023, MTA Bridges and Tunnels’ internal security department expanded its LPR capability through the addition of mobile LPR trailers. These trailers are strategically deployed at B&T approaches maximizing opportunities to apprehend PTVs. Information collected from these mobile units also provides additional insight to patterns and trends that aid in data-driven enforcement.

Avoid Scams and Pay Your Tolls the Right Way
Toll operating agencies will never send a text with a link to pay tolls. While the overwhelming majority of motorists — over 90 percent — are signed up with E-ZPass, motorists that are sent a Tolls By Mail bill can pay online, by mail as instructed on the bill itself, via the Tolls NY app, or calling 1-844-826-8400.