In The News

Mismatched, homemade license plates fail to fool port cops

A Florida driver has been charged with theft of service, falsifying records and having fictitious plates on an unregistered vehicle – all in an attempt to avoid paying a toll at the George Washington Bridge.

Michael Krasozski, 32, of Sunny Isles Beach, FL, was traveling in the E-ZPass lane of the GWB on June 2 with fabricated license plates, complete with stick-on letters. He was hauling 10 vehicles from Florida to New York.

Krasozski’s attempt to bypass paying the toll had two major flaws. He had an Arizona license plate on the front of the truck and a Maine plate on the trailer, and the word “apportioned” wasn’t anywhere on the plates, according to Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Al Della Fave.

The port has been having issues with commercial drivers not paying tolls at the GWB and employs a couple of officers who have become quite adept at spotting offenders. Port officers Michael Brennan and Jason Malice have seen plates covered with tape, paint, grease and drivers changing one number to look like another, according to Della Fave.

So Krasozski’s 1993 Peterbilt with its homemade plates stood out. In addition, the officers discovered the VIN on the registration did not match the VIN on the vehicle.

Krasozski listed Arizona Auto Shippers of Surprise, AZ, as his carrier, although the owner of company says he does not know Krasozski nor does his company haul from Florida to New York.

www.LandLineMag.com