The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced today they recovered more than $25 million from toll evaders in 2023, up 14% from the previous year.

The Port Authority also said they enhanced toll enforcement efforts with increased targeted patrols, streamlined 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’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.

“Evading tolls or obstructing license plates is illegal – and robs our facilities of the resources needed to keep them running safely and efficiently,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said in a statement.

“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,” he added.

The agency also identified 10 repeat toll evaders against whom the largest default judgments were awarded in 2023, with the amounts ranging from $78,632 to $201,358.

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.