the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Fort Lee NJ, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced it recovered more than $25 million from toll evaders in 2023, up 14 percent from the previous year. In addition to sharing toll evasion information with regional partners, the Port Authority also enhanced toll enforcement efforts with increased targeted patrols, stream lined and improved internal data collection, and leveraged various types of license plate reader systems across a spectrum of roadway infrastructure and police technology to catch evaders. The agency also identified 10 repeat toll evaders including one from Hackensack, Englewood, Teaneck and Lodi against whom the largest default judgments were awarded in 2023.
The agency’s stepped-up enforcement efforts resulted in a year-over-year increase of 28 percent in toll-evasion related summonses issued by the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD). In 2023, PAPD issued 5,861 toll evasions-related summonses, including 4,446 summonses for obstructing, missing or fictitious license plates. In comparison, the agency issued nearly 4,700 toll evasion-related summonses and recovered more than $21 million in overdue tolls and administrative fees from evaders in 2022.
“With increased patrols and the deployment of more technology across our infrastructure, we will catch toll violators and they will pay what they owe,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Tolls fund the critical infrastructure that stitch our region together, and drivers will not be able to skate by and steal.”
“Evading tolls or obstructing license plates is illegal – and robs our facilities of the resources needed to keep them running safely and efficiently,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “It is both unfair and illegal for toll cheats to try to dodge their share of the cost of maintaining the safety of our bridges and tunnels, and we are committed to thwarting this criminal behavior.”
“Toll evasion is a serious offense that simply does not pay,” said Port Authority Police Superintendent Edward Cetnar. “We have zero tolerance for toll evaders and will continue to crack down on anyone looking to cheat the system.”
Toll evaders who repeatedly do not pay their bills on time may be subject to having their vehicles’ registrations suspended and their vehicles towed and impounded by PAPD at the owners’ expense. Repeat offenders also may be subject to civil litigation for toll recovery. The following 10 toll cheats were ordered to pay the largest civil judgments to the Port Authority in 2023 due to their unpaid tolls and fees:
| TOLL EVADER: | AMOUNT OWED: |
| EM Padilla Trucking Corp (Weehawken, N.J.) | $201,358.53 |
| JRK Xpress Corp (Reading, Pa.) | $185,045.90 |
| Do 1 Do Right Services LLC (Lodi, N.J.) | $141,077.06 |
| Garth Virgil (Englewood, N.J.) | $135,867.70 |
| Maria Rodriguez (Teaneck, N.J.) | $134,801.69 |
| JLL 1 Logistics Inc. (Belleville, N.J.) | $132,288.55 |
| Emily Courier Corp (Elizabeth, N.J.) | $93,228.76 |
| New Generation Transport (Bronx, N.Y.) | $86,257.50 |
| Salsam Transport LLC (South Hackensack, N.J.) | $85,290.50 |
| Richard Sullivan (Hackensack, N.J.) | $78,632.80 |
Motorists can avoid administrative fees and vehicle registration suspensions for unpaid toll violations by paying their toll bills on time or by signing up for E-ZPass. With an E-ZPass account, customers can link a credit card or bank account to make the tolling process as seamless as possible and save as much as 20 percent on tolls at the agency’s crossings.
