City Destroys Thousands of Ghost Cars and Illegal Scooters

By Y.M. Lowy

City Destroys Ghost Cars and Illegal Scooters

New York City is cracking down on dangerous and illegal vehicles. Since 2022, the city has taken away over 100,000 ghost cars, scooters, mopeds, and ATVs from the streets.

Ghost cars, which are vehicles with fake or altered plates, are untraceable and often used to avoid law enforcement. Alongside mopeds and scooters, they’ve been tied to robberies, shootings, and traffic crashes. This week, the city crushed hundreds of them so they can never be used again.

A task force created in late 2024 has already cleared more than 14,000 ghost cars, and another 10,000-plus have been removed this year alone.

NYPD data shows that crimes involving mopeds, like robberies and grand larcenies, are already down.

photos: Mayor's Office