A serial toll evader who used a gadget to hide his license plate was arrested Friday while trying to cross the George Washington Bridge, Port Authority police said.
Lequincy Anderson, who owes nearly $20,000 in unpaid tolls and fees, was pulled over by police allegedly trying to zoom past the toll plaza with the license plate concealing device, officials said.
His arrest comes as the Port Authority announced Monday it recovered more than $25 million from toll evaders last year.
Anderson had 292 confirmed unpaid violations that resulted in $5,167 due in tolls and another $14,600 owed in fees, authorities said.
He allegedly used a gadget that lowered a black cover over the car’s license plate to evade tolling – reminiscent of the famous Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond that had revolving plate numbers, according to footage provided by the Port Authority.
Anderson is facing charges of theft of service, tampering with a government document and possession of burglar tools. He was also hit with a tickets for improper display of license plates and failure to produce an insurance card, authorities said.
Anderson’s debt to the bi-state agency still pales in comparison to the top ten repeat toll evaders that had to pay up the largest default judgments in 2023, the Port Authority revealed Monday. Overall, the agency collected $25 million tied to toll evasion in 2023 – an increase of 14% compared to the previous year.
EM Padilla Trucking Corp, based in Weehawken, earned the top spot in unpaid tolls and fees at $201,358, the Port Authority said.
JRK Xpress Corp, based in Reading, Pennsylvania, and Do 1 Do Right Services in Lodi, NJ, rounded out the top three at about $185,000 and $141,000, the Port Authority said.
Only one New York-based company, New Generation Transport, located in the Bronx, cracked the top ten list.
Attempts to reach the companies were unsuccessful.
Three individuals, all from Bergen County, also made the top ten ranking.
The agency’s police force issued 5,861 toll evasions-related summonses, including 4,446 summonses for obstructing, missing or fake license plates.
“With increased patrols and the deployment of more technology across our infrastructure, we will catch toll violators and they will pay what they owe,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said in a statement.
