Brisk Business for Vigilantes Targeting Boro Park Mosdos Buses

By M.C. Millman

It's been the law for years now. Leave a vehicle running for more than three minutes or one minute in a school zone and risk getting a ticket for breaking New York City's idling law. 

Sounds like a law that will keep the NYPD busy, but that is not the case since the City has been relying on a group of dedicated vigilantes to do the work for them. 

It's been four years since the Citizens Air Complaint Program began, and it seems some of those tattle-tales have grown bored with their usual targets of idling trucks and random vehicles. 

As of last month, yeshivas across Boro Park noticed a decided uptick in their school buses being targeted for ticketing. 

"We were hit with five summons mamish in the last two months," one yeshiva administrator who chose to remain anonymous told BoroPark24. "I don't remember ever getting even one idling ticket in all my years here. There is a six-week delay when they send it to us so we could have gotten even more over the next month.

"We were totally caught by surprise. This is the first time we have had this. And it's not just us. I am part of a yeshiva group, and many yeshivas are suddenly getting these new tickets, both in Boro Park and Williamsburg. 

The fine for a first-time idling offender is $350, which increases to up to $2000 with each additional offense. A 25-percent cut, $87.50 for a first-time offender, is paid to the person who filed the complaint.

"Buses need to leave their engines running," a yeshiva principal. tells BoroPark24. "Idling creates a sustainable climate for the children. In the winter, buses need to be warmed up in order to begin the route and to heat inside the bus so children don't freeze. In the summer, buses need to run the air conditioner for a while so children don't pass out from the heat.  Yeshiva buses seem to have become an easy target for New Yorkers who want to make money in such an underhanded way."

“I know of eight yeshivas that received violations this week,” another yeshiva administrator told BoroPark24. “They must have sent them all out at the same time. We’ve never received a violation before.”

"We all know the reason why we're suddenly getting all these tickets," the first administrator added. "It's because the City offered to give a very substantial amount of every ticket to the one that reports it. And our yeshivas are an easy target since tickets are given for idling for only one minute in a school zone instead of the three in the rest of the City.  It's really unheard of - a ridiculous way of doing business. All I can say is that we're all in this together, and someone will hopefully be able to do something about this targeted attack on our yeshivas."