Transcript: Mayor Adams Announces Removal of Over 100,000 Illegal Vehicles From City Streets Since Start of Administration, Improving Quality of Life for All New Yorkers

June 12, 2025

Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry, Public Safety: Good morning. My name is Kaz Daughtry and I'm the deputy mayor for Public Safety. And I'm proud to be joined here today by the NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the Department of Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan, Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, and obviously the mayor of the safest big city in America, Mayor Eric Adams. 

We are here today to give an important update on the Adams administration's record progress to keep New Yorkers safe from crime and improve their quality of life. As the mayor always says, people need to be safe and they also need to feel safe. 

Under the mayor's leadership, we have continued to drive down crime for eight straight months and set new records for the lowest levels of murders and shootings in this city, this city has ever seen. But we have known that when New Yorkers see lawlessness on our streets, whether it's a vehicle speeding past them on the sidewalk or cars without license plates, racking up tickets while parked in front of your house, that feeling of safety and confidence disappears fast. 

I can promise you, New York, we are not going to let that happen. The mayor is not going to let it happen because this administration is not in the business of looking the other way. So let's be very clear. If you are committing crimes, trying to invade law enforcement, or creating chaos in our neighborhoods, your days are numbered. 

Under the mayor's leadership, we are restoring order, reinforcing consequences, and reclaiming public space for hardworking New Yorkers who play by the rules. We have heard your concerns and we have taken action. And clearly, what you're seeing here are the results. With that, I'd like to turn it over to Mayor Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much Deputy Mayor Daughtry. And really, kudos and the work that we're seeing from the New York City Police Department and our partners that are here. Also, representatives from various offices. We want to thank them for joining us, and particularly the borough president. 

The Borough President Fossella has clearly made it his mission to deal with quality of life issues here in the Borough of Staten Island, a borough that is not a forgotten borough. This borough has been constantly on our mind as we continue to develop the waterfronts, to deal with the park development, and then the small issues that he brings to the attention of the administration. So we're really excited about being here today. 

Before I begin, I do want to talk about what happened in Bushwick last night, where several police vehicles were torched, 14 were impacted, 11 which were damaged by dangerous fire in a parking lot. Three other cars had fire starters in them that did not light. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported, and the NYPD, Commissioner Tisch and her team, they're investigating these fires. 

But we want to be clear. No one has a license to commit violence in our city, especially against law enforcement. This damage is unacceptable, and we will find the person who is involved. Other officers, our officers are on the front line doing the dangerous work every day, they move and run towards danger. And it takes courage to put on a uniform, but you can be a coward to burn property and damage property intentionally. When these officers put their life at risk, they answer the call, and we're here to give them the support they deserve. 

Now, on this topic at hand, this is something, as Deputy Mayor Daughtry stated, we refuse to allow disorder to reign in our city. We heard from town halls, community groups, gatherings, the conversation about illegal vehicles on our road, not only the scooters and dirt bikes, but also ghost cars. And we knew that we had to take a very aggressive approach, and that is exactly what we're doing on many levels, from lowering speed limits to upping our enforcement, but also when we have to confiscate those dangerous vehicles that are on the street. 

And so public safety is not only about stats. It's about how people are feeling. And we hear it over and over again. Yes, we have been successful in bringing down crime to record levels. We have been successful in making our subway system safe. But we want to make sure New Yorkers feel safe as well. And we know that New Yorkers have strong feelings about illegal mopeds and scooters because we hear it all the time, especially when they are driving the wrong way, down streets or sidewalks, or in the dark without lights. 

The rise of the moped era that came after COVID-19 has terrorized many of our pedestrians, particularly our seniors and older adults. They live in fear of being run down right on their own block while they are doing their errands. But when we talk about illegal mopeds, ghost cars, and ghost plates, we're not just talking about the quality of life problems. These vehicles often are used in crimes. 

They have been participating in jewelry snatchings, phone snatchings, robberies. You mention a crime and in some way they have participated in them. And they have been used to flee after committing shootings, robberies, and other violent crimes. And that is why the administration has been taking action since day one to keep New Yorkers safe. 

And enforcement was ramped up all over the city, and thousands of vehicles have been confiscated and impounded, including over 100,000 ghost vehicles with forged, illegal, or no license plates at all. That includes 62,300 illegal two-wheel vehicles, some of which are here today, and they will not be on our road anymore. 

And as your mayor, you have my word that we are not going to let people live in fear. So today we send these illegal vehicles to their final destination, and that's to scrap heat. That's right, when it comes to public safety, we're crushing it, and we're going to crush these vehicles today. We're crushing over 200 illegal mopeds, scooters, and ATVs, just like we destroyed illegal guns a few weeks ago. 

The goal is not to allow illegal tools to return to our streets, and we want to be clear that the city will not tolerate crime on any level, and all riders who think the rules don't apply to them. Ghost cars and other illegal vehicles pose significant public safety risk. 

And these vehicles were often unregistered, uninsured, and in many cases they were stolen, or often being used in crimes or implicated in accidents, as well as also depriving law-abiding taxpayers of millions of dollars in unpaid tolls and fees, not to mention taking up parking spaces and driving recklessly throughout our city. 

With the destruction of these vehicles, we're sending an important message to everyone who drives them. No one is above the law, and if you drive an illegal vehicle, you'll face the consequences. And so when you ride legally, you can do so in the city, but illegal operation won't be accepted. And it's just as the owners of 100,000 illegal vehicles we've removed, and for those that are asking, are we going to resell them? The answer is no. 

We won't sell these vehicles to make a minimum profit just so illegal vehicles can end up back on our streets. This is about public safety, and the numbers are clear. There's been an 85.7 percent decrease in grand larceny patterns, as well as a 68.2 percent decrease in robbery patterns involving mopeds over the last year. Look at those numbers. Those are important numbers. They match the increase in enforcement. 

More broadly, there's been a 57.2 percent decrease in all index crime reported involving mopeds year to date. This is all in addition to driving down overall crime in our city. With the continued drop in major crimes we've seen in April, May, and so far this month, we're on track to have our sixth quarter of declining crime. 

And I really want to thank Commissioner Tisch, Commissioner Lojan, and the men and women of both New York City finest and New York City strongest for their help in this initiative and how we're going to move this initiative forward. And in the words of President Truman, he once said, and I'm paraphrasing, the bike stops here. We will get it done. Thank you. Commissioner.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Thank you, sir. You know, as a little girl, I always dreamed of going to a moped crush event. And here I am. Good morning, everyone. And thank you all for being here. It is so good to be back here with DSNY at Fresh Kills and to have my friends and colleagues at Sanitation on hand as we mark this impressive milestone. 

More than 100,000 illegal vehicles seized from the streets of New York City. And this morning is not just about crushing mopeds. It is about crushing the criminal activity and quality of life issues that come with them. Since the start of the mayor's administration, we have removed more than 62,000 illegal scooters, motorbikes, and ATVs, all ghost vehicles, as well as over 38,000 ghost cars. 

So why is this so important? Because far too often, they are used to rob, to hit, and to run, to cause chaos on our streets, and to cheat the system. As a result of these confiscations, we are seeing a real difference in crime, too. As the mayor said in the first half of this year, grand larceny patterns involving mopeds are down 85 percent, and robberies are down nearly 70 percent. That is an extraordinary public safety win and comes right on the heels of the safest May on record, with citywide shootings and murders at historic lows. 

Let me be clear. These motorbikes are not harmless. They are often untraceable, unlicensed, and unregistered. Their reckless operation puts pedestrians and other motorists at risk, and when used by bad actors, they become tools of their criminal trade. And for several hundred of these vehicles being crushed this morning, and for the tens of thousands we have already destroyed, that is over. 

Our officers across every borough are using precision enforcement, coordinated tactics, and tireless investigation to identify, intercept, and stop these illegal vehicles before they can be used in crimes. We've also staged checkpoints, launched ghost car sweeps, and worked closely with DSNY, the Sheriff's Office, the MTA, the state police, and so many others to execute this mission at both the city and state level. 

And now, with the state legislation the mayor pushed for, closing the so-called moped loophole, the law is finally on our side when it comes to stopping these vehicles before they even hit the streets. That is thanks in no small part to Mayor Adams being a major advocate for this important legislation. 

And now, we need the City Council's help too. It's time for them to stop legislating against us and to start passing laws that are in the interests of public safety. And one perfect chance for them to do this is with ATVs. We are calling for a change to the Administrative Code to make it a misdemeanor to possess an ATV within the confines of New York City. Though ATVs cannot be legally operated on New York City roadways, they can be legally possessed, making enforcement of the law very challenging. 

Simple changes can give our officers the ability to take these vehicles off the road before they pose the risk. It is common sense, and we need to get it done. In the meantime, we will continue this work, and it will expand under the new Quality of Life Division, which is taking our enforcement, which we've already proven to be so effective, and bringing it to the next level. We will be relentless, we will be precise, and we will be smart. 

So thank you to everyone who made this accomplishment today possible, especially the women and men of the NYPD and certainly DSNY. And thank you, Mayor Adams, for championing this issue from day one and helping make this city safer for everyone who calls it home. Let's keep it going.

Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry: And now we're going to hear from the Staten Island Borough President, Mr. Vito [Fossella].

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella: Thank you very much, deputy mayor. And I know we're here specifically to see a nice crush event, as Commissioner Tisch alluded to. And I'm pretty excited about it as well. And I just can't help but think that 25 years ago, behind those folks in front of me, was the largest landfill in the United States. And it's been converted because good people came together to make it one of the largest parks, not just in Staten Island, but New York City. 

And that's what today is really about, people coming together to improve the quality of life, not only for the people of Staten Island, but across the city. And I can tell you from the first conversation that Mayor Adams and I had when he was first elected, he told me, Vito, there's nothing more important than to keep Staten Islanders safe and to keep the people of this city safe. And every time I've reached out or we've reached out to him or the NYPD, especially locally, they have been more than responsive. 

A couple of years ago, we had car thefts through the roof. They responded and now they're down. About two years ago or so, illegal shops were selling weed and other drugs that were through the roof. The mayor, partnered with the sheriff and local authorities, shut them down. And in a way, this is an extension. 

Commissioner Tisch oversees the best Police Department in the world, men and women who wear the badge every day and protect us. And a lot of times people say, well, what's happening? Well, a lot of it is out of their control. Whether it's legislative, locally in the City Council or the state legislature, we need to get on the same page and allow the NYPD to do its job and things like this could happen more often. 

And I want to thank the people of Sanitation, great people who really represent the best of New York City, many of whom call Staten Island home. So to all of us who come together, we're here for one reason, to keep the trend going. There's nothing more important than to protect the innocent people of New York City. And I want to thank Commissioner Tisch in particular, but most especially, I want to thank Mayor Adams for being at the forefront of keeping this city safe. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: A few questions before we get on topic. Sounds like a plan. Let's crush.

Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry: We have one question.

Question: If you could just explain how important the state legislation was about the mopeds at the beginning of this year, that they all have to be registered. And are you thinking that you will have to have fewer events like this going forward because of that?

Police Commissioner Tisch: It was quite important because it made it so, among other things, that the people who sell the mopeds are responsible for making sure that they are registered. And so it's greatly helped our enforcement against these types of vehicles in that regard.

Question: I'm asking about, thank you. I'm asking about the, you talk about the law being on your side to impound these vehicles and take the thousands of them off the street. But in other cities in the Northeast in the past five years, there's been some successful litigation that has slowed down the abilities of city governments to seize these vehicles. 

Are you confident in the ongoing legal basis of the interagency task force to seize all these automobiles off the street?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we are. And if there is a legal challenge, we have an extremely competent corporation counsel. They're going to pursue that. We saw that with the cannabis enforcement. There were so many legal challenges, and we were able to overcome them. And we were able to close 1,400 illegal cannabis shops. 

And so there are always going to be challenges. But the safety of the residents of the city is paramount. And until we're told differently, we're going to continue our successful confiscation process, and in the process, drive down crime that's associated with these vehicles.

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