Authorities say a crackdown on drivers using ghost license plates to evade tolls has led to the arrest of a hardened criminal carrying a loaded handgun who was also the focus of a 2005 Brooklyn murder case.
Pedro Bonilla, 43, of the Bronx, was one of about 200 drivers arrested by NYPD and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officers cracking down on vehicles with “ghost license plates” and excessive toll violations in just three days of operations in New York City last week.
Authorities said Bonilla was riding his motorcycle on the Third Avenue Bridge between Upper Manhattan and the Bronx when he was pulled over for a traffic violation.
Authorities said the man tried to flee, but suddenly accelerated into a parked vehicle and then tried to flee on foot before being arrested a short time later.
Authorities said Bonilla is a felon with a long history of arrests on firearms and robbery charges and was found to be in possession of a loaded 9mm handgun at the time.
He is also a suspect in a 2005 murder in Brooklyn, according to the MTA.
According to the New York Police Department, the suspect was charged with numerous offenses, including assault, criminal possession of a weapon and resisting arrest.
The operation was part of an ongoing crackdown by law enforcement against drivers using fake license plates – known as “ghost plates” because they are used to evade detection – and repeat toll violators.
According to the Met, police seized a total of 196 vehicles and arrested 50 people at checkpoints along the city’s seven bridges during sweeps on June 14, 15 and 17.
Among the vehicles seized were a Mercedes, a Tesla, a BMW and a modified sports car.
Among the suspect vehicles were a red sports car with a license plate that read “NAHHHH” and a scooter with plates boasting “#1 DAD.”
During a June 14 inspection, a vehicle with license plates reported stolen from a dealership in Virginia was discovered, leading to the arrest of a 24-year-old suspect who had numerous outstanding arrest warrants for vehicle theft in southern states.
The car is believed to have been stolen as part of a dealership fraud scheme.
According to the MTA, checkpoints have been set up on the George Washington Bridge, RFK Bridge, Willis Avenue Bridge, Henry Hudson Bridge, Broadway Bridge, 181st Street Bridge and Third Avenue Bridge.
The tortfeasors arrested in the recent investigation collectively owed approximately $1.5 million in unpaid tolls, fees and other vehicle-related debts.
The New York Police Department and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, with the cooperation of other law enforcement agencies, have conducted a total of 21 similar operations so far in 2024, seizing 1,266 vehicles, arresting 276 people and issuing approximately 10,000 citations.
During last week’s activity, 1,809 court summonses alone were issued.
New York City stepped up its crackdown last year on ghost plates — which are often completely counterfeit paper plates — which the NYPD blames for an increase in dangerous police chases in the city.
-Additional reporting by Carl Campanile
