A Westchester County Police officer spotted a vehicle rigged with a spy-movie gadget at Glen Island Park on Sunday, Aug. 9: a mechanical device that flips between two license plates at the push of a switch.

The department, which patrols county parkways and parks and provides support to local police in Bronxville, Scarsdale and Eastchester, said the devices are increasingly used to dodge toll cameras, speed cameras and law enforcement.

One side of the flipper displayed a legitimate New York plate. The other held a fraudulent Delaware plate, according to the department's Instagram post announcing the seizure.

The driver, an unnamed Bronx woman who also lacked a valid driver's license, left the park without her car. Officers confiscated the plate-flipping device and the bogus plate, then impounded and towed the vehicle. She was issued several tickets, including for driving without a license and excessive window tint, Daily Voice reported. A friend later picked her up.

Westchester County Police said the devices have legitimate uses at auto shows, where drivers switch to decorative plates for display. But the department warned they are "too often" used to evade electronic toll systems and automated speed cameras.

New York has been ramping up enforcement against so-called ghost cars. In May 2026, Gov. Kathy Hochul launched "Operation Plate Check," a statewide crackdown on vehicles displaying fraudulent, altered or stolen plates. New York State Police issued more than 3,000 tickets during similar enforcement efforts in 2025 and recovered more than a dozen stolen vehicles, according to News 12 Westchester.

Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 402, displaying a plate not lawfully issued by the DMV commissioner is illegal, as is covering or obscuring plates to distort photographic images. Violations carry fines of $100 to $500.

No criminal charges beyond traffic tickets were announced in the Glen Island Park case. Residents who spot suspicious plates or plate-flipping devices can contact Westchester County Police through the Department of Public Safety.