Suffolk joins ghost car task force one month after Nassau — putting the squeeze on toll cheats from Queens to the East End

Suffolk County is putting the brakes on “ghost vehicles” — joining a growing statewide task force targeting drivers who cover or fake their license plates to dodge tolls, red light cameras, and evade police.

The task force, launched by the MTA in March 2024, now includes 14 agencies across the state, including the NYPD, MTA Police, and now both the Suffolk and Nassau County police.

Suffolk’s addition, coming just two months after Nassau joined the task force, is a major step in expanding the crackdown beyond just New York City, where most enforcement operations have taken place.

“This is a regional problem, not just a five boroughs problem,” MTA Bridges & Tunnels President Cathy Sheridan said about both Long Island counties joining the program.

Police have said scammers use a range of methods to hide their license plates, from scratching paint off them to high-tech gadgets and sprays that make them invisible or unreadable on cameras and scanners.

Since launching last year, the task force has issued more than 47,000 summonses, made over 1,000 arrests and towed 4,500 vehicles, according to MTA Bridges & Tunnels President Cathy Sheridan.

The task force carries out coordinated “enhanced enforcement days,” during which multiple agencies deploy across the region to target ghost vehicles.

Nassau held its first operation under the task force on March 20, stopping 49 vehicles with covered plates, 51 with improper plates, and 89 with no plates at all while making five arrests and impounding 12 vehicles, according to County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

Suffolk does not operate any tolls and has recently shut down its red-light camera program, however, officials said the program applies pressure on drivers trying to skirt enforcement in city crossings and beyond on their way into or out of Long Island.

The MTA reported an average of 400,000 missed toll transactions per month through April 2024 — an 8% increase from the same period the year before, according to records.

By bringing Suffolk into the fold, officials said they hope to widen the net catching drivers exploiting loopholes across county lines — and send a message that plate tampering won’t go unchecked anywhere in the metro NYC area.