The MTA and various law enforcement officials gave a broad update on their “ghost car” crackdown on Tuesday, August 19, in order to commemorate the 100th operation of a task force that began in March 2024. Ghost cars are vehicles that either have obstructed or altered license plates, in order to evade tolls or scrutiny by the authorities.
At a press conference held at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge–which snakes through Randall’s Island, connecting northern Manhattan to Queens and the Bronx–officials announced that 2,100 ghost cars have been seized statewide in 2025, out of a total of 5,300 that have been impounded since the task force began. A total of 16,000 summonses have reportedly been issued over the course of the crackdown.
A spokesperson for the MTA told Straus News that the task force does not collect data on a borough-by-borough basis, meaning it can’t be ascertained how many of these seizures took place in Manhattan…