Interagency Scofflaw Operation at Queens Midtown Tunnel Interdicted 19 Vehicles
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels (MTA B&T) today announced that its officers interdicted 19 vehicles registered to persistent toll violators at the Queens Midtown Tunnel on Monday, March 25, issued 81 summonses and confiscated two fraudulent license plates. The scofflaws accounted for approximately $483,000 in combined unpaid tolls and fees. One of the top persistent toll violators from this targeted enforcement owed almost $76,000 in tolls and fees.
“MTA Bridges & Tunnels has a very simple message – don’t cover your license plate or use fake plates. Your car may also be seized, and you could be arrested,” said MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan. “These offenders are stealing money from the public’s pockets when they illegally use our bridges and tunnels. It's not fair when drivers in expensive sports cars skip out on thousands of dollars in tolls, and New Yorkers are tired of it.”
“The results of this latest operation are a reminder to motorists that New York law enforcement will not tolerate drivers operating ‘ghost’ vehicles on our streets and highways,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “I thank and commend our NYPD officers, and everyone from our partner agencies involved in this ongoing effort, for their continued dedication to our shared public safety mission.”
Additionally, another joint operation took place on Thursday, March 21, featuring enforcement agencies stationed across the region including the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), the New York State Police, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYSDMV) and the New York City Sheriff Department who were stationed at other area crossings resulting in a total of 10 arrests, 45 vehicle seizures and 307 summonses issued.
The targeted interdiction operations on Thursday, March 21, at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, George Washington Bridge, and Lincoln and Holland Tunnels resulted in a total of 15 drivers being arrested, 356 summonses issued, and 58 vehicles seized.
The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge alone accounted for 13 of those arrests, 192 of the summonses issued and 42 of the vehicles that were seized.
Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 13, 2023, Bridge and Tunnel officers intercepted 2,705 vehicles – a 50% increase from the same time in 2022 and surpassed the total of 1,880 vehicles that were interdicted in all of 2022. Bridge and Tunnel officers have also issued more than 3,000 summonses for covered or obstructed license plates since the beginning of the year.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels, through tolls and fees collected, have recovered more than 98% of the tolls owed by recidivist toll scofflaws since the inception of its DMV Registration Suspension Program.
This enforcement aligns with a coordinated strategy by MTA B&T and City and State law enforcement partners, who announced a joint effort against obstructed and counterfeit license plates last year. Since the start of Open Road Tolling, Bridge and Tunnel officers have interdicted more than 9,500 vehicles for persistent non-payment of tolls.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels uses a variety of tools to identify violators and interdict vehicles:
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DMV registration suspensions.
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Robust roadside interdictions.
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Data-driven intelligence to continuously identify persistent toll violators.
Motorists can avoid violation fees and registration suspensions by paying their toll bills on time, using the award-winning Tolls NY free mobile application to pay tolls or manage their E-ZPass accounts. E-ZPass NY Customer Service Center account holders can save up to 40% at MTA B&T tolled crossings by using E-ZPass. To set up an E-ZPass account or for more information, visit www.ezpassny.com. NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law prohibits any covering or coating that intentionally conceals, obscures, or distorts an image of license plates.