It was really a troubling situation.
A grandmother living in upstate New York had to part with her cherished BELLA license plate after she received numerous speeding tickets linked to motorcyclists using fake tags.
Sharon Ritmo, who calls Albany home and has never even ridden a motorcycle, racked up ten speed camera tickets aimed at New York City motorbikes since June.
A biker, whose identity remains unknown, affixed a souvenir vanity plate (‘BELLA’, which means ‘beautiful’ in Italian) to dodge a camera ticket. Authorities have dubbed this tactic a “ghost plate.”
This grandmother, who is also a stepmother to three and has five grandchildren, drives a 2017 Kia Sportage.
Interestingly, two of those $50 tickets arrived on her birthday, August 31, while she was in Sicily celebrating with her husband.
When she reached out to her local Department of Transportation for help, she found no support, and attempting to contest the tickets online didn’t prevent more from coming.
Feeling anxious about potential arrest, Ritmo even stashed a letter from her lawyer in her glove compartment before hitting the road.
“I was being cautious; I avoided speeding and stayed off the freeway,” she mentioned.
City Councilman Oswald Ferris (D-Bronx) shared with the Post that these “ghost plates” are worsening the situation.
“The DMV shut many physical locations during the pandemic, making temporary paper plates quite common. This led to an increase in fraudulent activities,” he noted.
Fortunately, advocates at the New York City Parking Summons Department managed to resolve her outstanding tickets. However, Ritmo was informed that the only way to stop the onslaught of tickets was to surrender her beloved plates, which she did on October 21, feeling quite dejected.
She received the plate back in 1985 when her husband, Joe, who used to own a barber shop, surprised her by putting one on his Mitsubishi Laser.
“It’s like a love story… He called me outside to make a plate, and I’ve cherished it for 40 years,” she recounted.
“My husband hails from Sicily, and the name Bella holds special meaning for him,” she explained. “That’s my nickname, what he always calls me. Letting go of that plate felt like losing a part of myself.”
This plate held immense sentimental value for her.
“It was really heartbreaking. This meant so much to my husband and me. After 40 years, it felt like the end of an era,” she admitted.
When asked about the possibility of getting a new vanity plate, Ritmo expressed a desire to take some time to think things through, mentioning that the entire ordeal had been quite stressful for her.
Even though she no longer has the license plate, her nickname endures.
“My husband still calls me his Bella.”
