New Ghost Car Task Force to target parked ghost vehicles across NYC

NEW YORK (PIX11) — A different kind of ghostbuster is patrolling the streets of the city.

The new Ghost Car Task Force will take to the streets to remove illegal cars across the five boroughs, as announced by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday.

As part of the initiative 15 uniformed officers have been assigned strictly to finding and removing parked ghost cars. In its first week the task force removed almost 300 vehicles.

Seized vehicles will be held at NYPD lots where they will be processed and either claimed, auctioned, or destroyed after investigation.

It marks a new interagency partnership between the Department of Sanitation and the New York Police Department.

“…we are sending an important message to everyone who drives on the streets of our city: fake plates are a real crime and if you leave a car on city streets with forged, stolen, or altered plates, it won’t be there when you get back,” said the mayor during a press conference.

Ghost cars are categorized as vehicles with forged, stolen, or altered license plates that make them untraceable to traffic cameras and toll readers, according to city officials. Authorities say these untraceable vehicles often show up at the scenes of serious crimes.

The city-led Ghost Car Task Force adds to pre-existing statewide initiatives that target ghost vehicles during traffic stops. Current task forces under the state have removed almost 2,200 ghost cars from city streets.

Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here .

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