A crackdown on toll-dodging drivers with “ghost’’ license plates just netted a career criminal with a loaded pistol who also is being eyed in a 2005 Brooklyn murder, authorities say.
Pedro Bonilla, 43, of The Bronx was among nearly 200 drivers nabbed by NYPD and MTA officers ferreting out vehicles with “ghost plates” or excessive toll violations during an investigation over just three days in the city last week.
Bonilla was halted on a motorcycle on the Third Avenue Bridge between Upper Manhattan and The Bronx for a traffic violation, authorities said.
He tried to escape but accelerated into a parked car, then attempted to flee on foot and was quickly captured, officials said.
Bonilla, a felon with a long history of firearm and robbery arrests, was found to be carrying a loaded .9mm gun at the time, authorities said. He also is a person of interest in a 2005 Brooklyn homicide, according to the MTA.
The suspect was charged with a slew of offenses including assault, weapons possession and resisting arrest, the NYPD said.
The operation was part of the law-enforcement agencies’ ongoing crackdown on drivers using counterfeit license plates — commonly known as “ghost plates” for their use in evading detection — and recidivist toll violators.
Cops seized a total of 196 vehicles and made 50 arrests at checkpoints along seven bridges across the city during the sweeping operation June 14, 15 and 17, according to the Metropolitan Transit Authority.
Among the vehicles seized were Mercedes, Teslas, BMWs and tricked-out sports cars.
A red sports car with a license plate reading “NAHHHH,” and a motor scooter with a plate boasting “#1 DAD” were among the suspect rides.
One stop on June 14 turned up a car with plates reported stolen from a dealership in Virginia, resulting in the arrest of a 24-year-old suspect with numerous warrants out for vehicle theft in the southern state. It is believed the car was stolen as part of a dealership fraud scheme.
Checkpoints were set up at the George Washington, RFK, Willis Avenue, Henry Hudson, Broadway, 181 Street and Third Avenue bridges, according to the MTA.
In total, the scofflaws arrested during the recent operation collectively owed about $1.5 million in tolls, fees and other unpaid vehicle-related debts.
The NYPD and MTA have conducted a total of 21 such operations so far in 2024 with the help of other law-enforcement agencies, resulting in 1,266 vehicle seizures, 276 arrests, and nearly 10,000 summonses.
Last week’s operations accounted for 1,809 of the court summonses alone.
The city ramped up its crack down on ghost plates — which are frequently completely counterfeited paper plates — last year, with the NYPD blaming them for an uptick in dangerous police chases across town.
-Additional reporting by Carl Campanile
