New York City isn’t giving traffic scofflaws a ghost of a chance.
Mayor Eric Adams, interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon, and Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch rolled out the latest initiative Wednesday in an ongoing crackdown on drivers who obscure or display fake license plates to avoid detection from speed cameras and tolls.
The mayor announced the formation of the Ghost Car Task Force, a joint initiative between the Police and Sanitation Departments to eliminate the “ghost cars” from the Big Apple’s streets. In doing so, Hizzoner was blunt about his view of the unlawful vehicles and their drivers.
“These cars are a pain in the a**,” Adams said at the Sept. 18 presser, held inside a lot near Kennedy Airport where confiscated vehicles are being stored. “They want to do whatever they want to do, and not only do they address the issues of not paying tolls, but they also are very much part of the criminal element that we’re witnessing in this city, and that’s in contrast to our overall mission of keeping New Yorkers safe. … We’re taking a real bite out of this issue, and these are becoming ghost car busters in the process.”
Adams said the new initiative officially started on Sept. 10. Over the course of the first five nights of the operation, 15 uniformed officers dedicated solely to removing parked ghost cars helped remove some 295 offending vehicles from the streets.
Hizzoner said that the seized cars will be stored in NYPD lots for about a week; if they are not claimed, they will either be auctioned off or destroyed outright.
The mayor also declared that the task force will be underway for about 90 days, during which time the process will be evaluated, and a decision will be made whether to continue the program.
Meanwhile the press conference also served as the first time the newly appointed top cop appeared alongside Adams since the controversial, police-involved Brooklyn subway shooting that left four injured.
Interim Commissioner Donlon lauded the task force and said that many of these “ghost cars” could be used in crimes.
“A lot of the complaints from the public was that these cars are parked in their residence, they’re parked by schools, and something needs to be done. Of course, these cars go through toll booths, speed traps, or whatever. But the main concern here is these are bad people, and we also focus on the violent crimes that come with this. And I believe that this will be successful,” Donlon said.
