WASHINGTON (WCBS 880/1010 WINS) — On Wednesday, officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that they had seized the vehicles of 63 drivers who owed a total of $1.5 million in unpaid tolls.
The crackdown lasted two days, beginning on Tuesday at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and continuing on Thursday at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge.
The worst violator was a Lexus RX4 motorist who was caught on the Verrazzano and found to owe $86,111.82 in tolls and taxes, as determined by the MTA’s precise calculations.
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On April 11, 2023, a car is pulled from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
According to the MTA, the runner-up is the $66,763.02-in-debt owner of a 1998 Honda Accord.
The drivers had their vehicles towed, and the state DMV has recommended that their registrations be revoked.
Vehicles are taken on April 11, 2023, from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
Bridges & Tunnels Vice President and Chief of Operations Richard Hildebrand once observed, “In a perfect world, everyone pays their tolls – their fair part.”
Another motorist was apprehended and charged with possession of a forged instrument during the recent raid for attempting to cross the Verrazzano in a Mercedes-Benz SUV with a fraudulent Georgia license plate.
In January, officers from the Verrazzano Bridge and Tunnel Authority caught 17 drivers with a combined $420,000 in unpaid tolls and late costs. About $60,000 was owed by one driver.
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MTA officers stopped the vehicles of 1,800 toll evaders last year. The agency claims the evaders are responsible for unpaid tolls and taxes totaling in the tens of millions of dollars.
On April 11, 2023, a driver was caught at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge with fraudulent Georgia license plates.
The MTA has stated that it will be increasing its enforcement efforts against toll evaders at bridges and tunnels.
