NYC Toll Skippers Owe Port Authority $500K, Lawsuit Contends

NEW YORK CITY — A small fleet of motorists' wrongful use of E-ZPass lanes detoured them in New York City court, where the Port Authority seeks to collect more than $592,000 in skipped tolls, according to new lawsuits.

The lawsuits filed Monday accuse eight motorists and companies from mostly New Jersey of failing to pay tolls hundreds of times each, or more, over years.

One accused Englewood toll scofflaw took 1,175 trips through E-ZPass lanes — which are exclusive to motorists who set up electronic payments — instead of manned toll booths, documents state.

"Through the repeated and intentional use of exclusive E-ZPass® lanes, as alleged, Defendant(s) have engaged in a prolonged course of conduct constituting fraud against the Port Authority," the lawsuit states in language echoed in the other filings.

Officials with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey declined to comment on ongoing litigation. But a spokesperson noted that crackdowns on toll deadbeats aren't new.

"Not only will we catch you if you try to skip out on tolls, but you’ll end up paying far more than if you hadn’t broken the law in the first place," spokesperson Seth Stein said in a statement. "Toll scofflaws undermine the critical infrastructure that keeps our region moving, and we’ll keep pursuing them until they pay their due."

Last year, Port Authority officials ticketed more than 4,500 people for violations collected $21 million in past due fees, officials said.

Since 2015, the Port Authority has used an outside law firm to pursue toll violators who owe substantial amounts, officials said.

The new raft of lawsuits include a New Jersey company — A One Leasing, of Berlin — that agreed to pay $105,000 in tolls and fees from 927 toll evasions, according to documents. But the company only ponied up a $40,000 partial payment, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit seeks $89,799 in remaining tolls, administrative costs and for defaulting on the agreement.

All the defendants in the lawsuits have New Jersey addresses in Berlin, Clifton, Englewood, Kenilworth, Little Ferry and Paramus. One company, JMS VIP Limo, is named as a New York business with an address in the Garden State.