City and state officials last week announced a massive crackdown
on so-called “ghost cars,” vehicles displaying fake, counterfeit or
modified license plates.
At a March 12 press conference with Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor
Eric Adams described the “ghost vehicles” as menaces to city streets,
saying criminals often carry several sets of fake plates that can be
changed to prevent identification by police and at toll booths across
the city and state.
“This initiative is a proactive way of catching the criminals before
they do something dangerous and to catch cars that go through
tolls without paying,” Adams said.
“Today, the Ghostbusters have arrived,” Hochul said. “We’re sick
and tired of people taking advantage, and everybody else feels like a
sucker because they’re the ones paying the tolls like law abiding
citizens.”
The enforcement initiative includes the NYPD, the Sheriff’s Office,
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, State Police, Department
of Motor Vehicles and the Port Authority, according to Hochul’s office.
NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said the Task Force may
conduct several enforcement initiatives each month.
“It could be once a week. It could be bi-weekly,” Maddrey said. “We
will determine that as we go along.”
An initial enforcement initiative against ghost cars on March 18 netted
75 car seizures, 282 summonses and eight arrests, authorities said.
Leave a Reply