Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Police Department Commissioner Edward A. Caban, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda, and Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Janno Lieber announced the launch of a multi-agency city-state task force dedicated to identifying and removing so-called “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. In an overwhelmingly successful inter-agency operation involving the NYPD, the New York City Sheriff’s Office, MTA bridge and tunnel officers, the New York State Police, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, authorities impounded 73 cars, issued 282 summonses, and arrested eight individuals in a day.
“By launching this city-state task force, we are sending 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.
New York City Mayor Adams said, “Outlaws have been purchasing fake or paper license plates online to avoid tolls and tickets, as well as to evade accountability for serious crimes, but we’re pumping the brakes on the use of ‘ghost plates’ with the help of this multi-agency task force. Working in tandem with our city and state law enforcement partners, we impounded 73 vehicles, issued 282 summonses, and made eight arrests, and sent an important message to everyone who drives on the streets of our city: No one is above the law. These cars might not have license plates, but we’ve got their number, and we’re going after anyone who tries to make their car untraceable.”AUDIO PHOTO
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 — from city streets, 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.
