Avoiding Traffic Tickets with Ghost Plates - Thank Me Later | The Daily Show

New York City has lost millions of dollars thanks to ghost plates, a new way of obstructing your license plate to avoid ticketing. Michael Kosta teams up with the city’s most infamous ghost (plate) buster to expose drivers and even cops who have employed this innovative method in the newest Thank Me Later. #DailyShow #NYC #GhostPlates
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[@ADDryan1]

I love how the crowd turned in his favor as soon as he said “the majority of offenders are law enforcement “ 😂

[@erinerin561]

I did too 😂😂😂😂

[@Hannah_Em]

As they should, honestly 😆

[@bradleybarnett9545]

I was with him already. Lose a friend to bad driving, see how ya feel.

[@lbmclean]

so law enforcement people have never commited crimes? okay

[@tylerdurden788]

​@bradleybarnett9545 yeah because how are supposed to catch them if you can't see their plates

[@mkedzier123]

Shouldn't a cop that does that to his license plate be automatically fired?

[@TheRealSykx]

we'd run outta cops

[@BigDG80]

@TheRealSykx Oh well. If you want to spend your life essentially telling people what they can and cannot do, you NEED to be held to a higher standard. NOT a lower one.

[@bigmike-]

​@@BigDG80that would require a general populace who actually hold their public servants accountable.

[@bealetonplayus1]

You're joking, right?

[@bobbyrooney]

Oh. No. Not. That.​@@TheRealSykx

[@0Fyrebrand0]

Imagine actually taking the time to erase the guy's marker after he fixed your plate. And they say cops are lazy! Turns out they can really put in the effort when they want to.

[@booboobaggins04]

If he used a sharpie, all you need is a little bit of rubbing alcohol and it comes off in seconds. so it's not really taking MUCH time.

[@David-iv6je]

@@booboobaggins04 He was using a paint pen. They use real paint. (We use them all the time in the laboratory I work in, to label plastic, metal etc.)

[@GGoAwayy]

It looked like the driver used wite-out over the marker. I was imagining the plate getting caked with layers over years of this back and forth.

[@Playingwithproxies]

@@GGoAwayythis guy is getting arrested for criminal mischief if the cop ever catches his near his plate 😂

[@ceciliaFX]

​@@Playingwithproxies The guy takes a photo of the plate before- all he has to do is show that to the judge and it's over for the cop.

[@shawnnewell4541]

Oh geez, NYPD is not going to let this guy get away with this. Stay safe, dude.

[@GeraltBosMang]

Somehow, he gets Epsteined.

[@KOKO-uu7yd]

Yeah.... I'm a bit worried, tbh. At the very least, he's gonna find himself absolutely "INVISIBLE" if he or his family ever need help... and considering the connections cops have available IF they choose... He's also going to get every single possible infraction written up, with some "creativity". All that, and then there's the real concern of anger issues among law enforcement.... Oh GEEZ... 😬😖😖

[@WhataMensch]

NYPD will let them get off just like we will let that country south of lebabon get away with its crimes

[@shawnnewell4541]

@KOKO-uu7yd Upon further reflection, this may be why he got the Daily Show to film this segment as a means of protection.

[@shawnnewell4541]

@WhataMensch I would love for that to not happen, but NYPD has a long history of corruption. I was a young teenager when Serpico testified about corruption in NYPD. They almost killed him.

[@aaronbreault]

The Daily Show is in effect trying to give this guy protection by broadcasting to the NYPD; "Hey! Just fyi if anything happens to this guy, we're going to make a GIANT deal about it." So thanks to them ❤

[@ChineduOpara]

Yeah but they might pick him up for other (made-up) reasons.

[@Zer0Blizzard]

It's the Daily Show. They're literally like 100 people total and constantly under Viacom's thumb.

[@travisminneapolis]

Exactly. You know police would LOVE to protect their blue 💙 line by giving this guy concrete boots.

[@fartnloud7411]

No, no, no, that's not how it works... you can thank them later.

[@joeydego2]

Someone needs to settle with this guy out of court

[@lephtovermeet]

Could you imagine if police had to do their jobs and were held accountable?

[@KOKO-uu7yd]

I can dream... 😢

[@pseudonymble]

Neither could police. Cops don't represent a 'thin blue line' between order and chaos. They are comprised of people like you and me... except they have qualified immunity and have been tought all the rules and how they can be broken, and how to intimidate should their human nature ever get questioned.

[@MechaMonkeyz]

cant even hold an orange doughnut accountable.

[@Razzle_Dazzle9]

The bad ones would quit… but they don’t want that. Then who would pew pew unarmed children?

[@nolongerblocked6210]

Nope, can't even imagine it... bcuz in my 50yrs on this earth & in America it's never happened

[@c016smith52]

"I'll thank you right now!" "...that's not what this segment is called." Love Kosta's segments!

[@zaloo]

i'm just noticing them.. :)

[@QuinnCFree]

He might be the most self aware interviewee on the Daily Show yet

[@PraiseTheFSMonster]

I can't even count the amount of cops who have flown through the four way stop in my neighborhood. No emergency, no lights, just driving.

[@sharongarrett4356]

Yep. Or on their phone or using the laptop while driving!!

[@mbords01]

report them, give your name, phone #, when, where happens etc.....

[@natelewis8259]

@@mbords01it’s real disappointing when you call to report a cop running a red light just to pull into an empty parking lot and the officer on the line says “okay… what do you want us to do about it?” Gave them the license plate and intersection so they could review the dashcam footage but they made it clear with that question that nothing would actually be done

[@mbords01]

@@natelewis8259 First of all how do you know that nothing would actually be done, secondly you, and I as citizen at least you have done something about it, not just complain. Sometime ago, I did report on someone who drove way too close to my riding my bicycle, less than three feet, I took the license plate, type of car, color etc and I called police, He listened but he would not do a thing because he stated he was not a witness himself to this occurrence, I understand that. But at least maybe, just maybe, this police took notice of the car and it's driver that I reported, who knows.

[@mickeysmyspiritanimal223]

Wow! Cops are breaking the law! Go Figure! I truly adore Michael! 🤣😂😜

[@mindlessgonzo]

"Rules for thee, not for me... Johnny Law."

[@WhataMensch]

If only cops could break the law as much as the country south of lebanon

[@magnificentuniverse2283]

@@WhataMensch Palestine? Isreal isnt a country so I assume you mean Palestine.

[@Titanticore]

The penalties for cops breaking the law should be harsher than civilians breaking the law.

[@wayneerichsen]

​@WhataMensch that makes no sense. Why would you want cops breaking the law? I think you sniffed too much glue.

[@toolbaggers]

This guy is trying to keep cops honest, increasing safety and reducing your tax bill at the same time.

[@rebeccachambers4701]

And all I see is probably just going to raise police budgets I mean if they're getting fined more that means they're going to have to raise I mean if it's 70% cops and like it's a hundred million that means 70 million in fines goes to the police department so they'll have to raise their budget by at least 70 million to keep up with all the finds that the police department is getting

[@drewwellington9337]

Reduce your tax bill?! Are you serious?! The state of new york will never, ever lower prices on bridges and tolls. They're all criminals.

[@Zer0Blizzard]

Honest cops are fired cops.

[@erock.steady]

i hear you saying... dude's on borrowed time.

[@christianhowles]

Even before I heard about the cop part (which i knew was the case) this guy was my personal hero. Driving on Staten Island I see these all the time and they're always the worst drivers. Also so much of the NYPD live on Staten Island

[@ryanshannon6963]

In Texas they do ghost plates properly. They're just printed off temp tags so there's never any actual information tying the vehicle owner's identity to the car. Those are proper ghost plates. This is like, ghost plates soft.

[@nicholasrusso5929]

@@ryanshannon6963 Yeah, technically ghost plates never existed in the system because they're forged. These are just defaced plates. There are plenty of paper plates and ghost plates around too.

[@Yourmission9]

That’s insane, and people wonder why citizens can have distrust of the police 🤷‍♂️

[@OsirisMalkovich]

This guy is the hero Gotham needs.

[@primafacie9721]

How about a bounty on turning in cars with illegal covers and if it's a public employee the bounty is higher AND it's paid out of the pocket of the public employee?

[@TC-im8eq]

Bounty paid by the offender

[@pjny21]

They've discussed doing that too.

[@ignacioaguirre9689]

I like the idea but I think people would fake the photos, scrap the plates themselves, etc. to claim the bounties.

[@tinhoyhu]

Nope. It'll be like the times when people raised deadly snakes to cash in on snake bounties, making the problem worse. You'll end up paying for people to vandalize your plate.

[@ZWLESQ]

Works for idling engine complaints where you have to submit time stamped video etc.

[@danrion8839]

New York city should pay this guy for his time and effort 👌.

[@jaketheauroran]

They should deputize him and let him give legit tickets

[@avanikavya]

Yup, though I doubt he’d want to work under the man.

[@1st2nd2]

We need to get this man a website where he can publish pictures of these ghost plates (before and after) so we can see what he means.

[@promich7194]

He's on all the socials. Easy to find.

[@delxinogaming6046]

He has a popular KZbin channel

[@CyclingSteve]

www.youtube.com/@TheBrooklynGersh

[@boekjar]

@GershKuntzman I did a double-take when he said his name in the video.

[@lilmatty2466]

@@delxinogaming6046what is his KZbin channel name.

[@shawneeluciani1385]

In WA state cops and their families display a bear sticker on their cars as a signal to one another of who's in group. Cops go to all kinds of lengths to stay above the law.

[@TurdJesus]

Wish I knew a cop to get one

[@hamfistsman6267]

Yeah. I got a handful of those stickers

[@danielpirone8028]

They are helping those vigilantes that want to let them know they are not above the law

[@chinkasuyaro8983]

I wish we would call it 'outside the law'. Above the law makes it sound like they have some kind of divine mandate, when they are simply lawless. I do score high on the pedant spectrum, though.

[@2beJT]

How about 'disregarding the law'? Even better since they are outright disregarding a law that is supposed to apply to them.@@chinkasuyaro8983

[@unsinkablemedusa9914]

Love the trophy! Thank you for being so cool Michael, i mean Ronnie. 😂 hope to see more of your segment so we can thank you later!

[@july_fish]

"Look me up... Ronny Chieng" XD

[@ananita6888]

haha that was hilarious.

[@TitanSummers]

Those plates are illegal in Australia. Heavy on the spot fines if caught

[@jasoncarlow4516]

What happens if cops are the ones being caught with them?

[@oskibear94]

This is America. Cops do not suffer consequences, unless they are defending the Capitol from insurrection.

[@BenjaminVestergaard]

Don't know about 'Strailia but here in Denmark an off duty cop not in uniform driving his private vehicle is treated like any other civilian.

[@TitanSummers]

Same as everyone else when in their privet cars and when on duty they have to drive government issue cars@@jasoncarlow4516

[@jasoncarlow4516]

@@BenjaminVestergaard well the problem in a lot of cities and countries is that cops always find a way of getting out of paying tickets

[@eschwarz1003]

I could see doing this, since as a pedestrian and cyclist, I've nearly been run over so many times by careless drivers (and hit-run twice) where I could barely read / get plates in time to attempt accountability measures. Also the people who stopped to help couldn't catch the plates either

[@robkoper841]

"Getting cops more tickets..." Doing the Lord's Work.

[@laskey2175]

A police officer with any kind of motivation could find these just as easy as this guy. The fact that he's redoing them shows that there's not a single police officer helping him.

[@TerraHv1]

Of course not, that would go against ACAB

[@markbonner1139]

AND HOW SLIMEY the NYPD REALLY IS!!

[@alexdasliebe5391]

This dude is havin fun

[@speedrunner9907]

real hero

[@corwinbrindley7635]

"You can thank me later" "Ill thank you now!" ... "That's not the name of the segment."

[@Stevenco9124]

Thanks guys...for recognizing this guy. I like to stand up for ppl like this. I appreciate.

[@ragweedmakesmesneeze]

I realize that the TDS is half-goofing on this guy, but one of the reasons why NYC continues to raise bridge tolls, implementing congestion pricing for driving in midtown, etc., is because of fair, toll and ticket evasion. And no, moving violations shouldn't be a revenue source, however, speeding is dangerous, and if NYC cops can do it without fear of fines then they are big part of the problem where cyclist deaths are at an all-time high in this city.

[@davidgoodhand1968]

Also compare penalties: Skip the $2.90 subway fare, and you will be arrested. But deface your plate to skip speeding tickets, red-light tickets, and tolls? You'll drive away with a citation, if there's any enforcement at all.

[@donhendri5428]

If you skip the subway fare you’ll only get a ticket.

[@briansmoot8234]

What a legend

[@joshchang7681]

We need a team of this guy in every city

[@Berniesf]

That guy is the hero everyone needs but nobody deserves!

[@er...]

0:20 snitchilante 🤣🤣🤣

[@katjabluetopaz]

One of the greatest things about the Daily Show are their quirky and funny stories. Love it!!! I hope the ghost plate buster guy stays safe. Kosta is so funny. I'd be happy to see more of him and his segments.

[@GTA5Player1]

This guy is my hero!

[@derekstein6193]

That is actually a pretty cool trophy.

[@psychicpineapples]

I love this dude. True American hero.

[@doncasino]

This man is an actual hero. Putting his life on the line to make the world a better place.

[@BL-ob3sm]

Bro, why is this even possible? In Cali, you get an automatic citation for obscuring any small part of your plates. NY law is soft af

[@davidmatten8519]

the law doesn't allow it here, either, but LE will not enforce it, especially on one of their own

[@mjc0961]

The law is the same in NY. The problem is, as stated very clearly in the video, the majority of the people doing this are cops. Law enforcement is breaking the law, so who's left to enforce the law?

[@bubblesezblonde]

KOSTA ROCKIN THE BIKE!!!!~Great story!!!

[@karikling6751]

One big issue with drivers that cover plates, remove them, or use fake plates and tags is that, if they commit a hit and run, cameras can't pick up their plate. So, they'll rarely get caught. I was assaulted by a passenger in a car with no plates, and police essentially couldn't do anything.

[@alimfuzzy]

He's an AH... meaning an Awesome Hero

[@themachine8009]

👏👏👏👏 Kosta When u were in that cops parking lot I was nervous for u 😂😂

[@louisa6948]

Naaaaaaah....there was TDS camera 😊 To be frank, I was surprised there wasn't a security guard watching all the cop's cars.

[@FelipeKana1]

THE HERO THE CITY NEEDS. STAY SAFE, CHAMP

[@een_schildpad]

Gersh is so awesome; appreciate his efforts and the problem he's highlighting! Criminal mischief baby!

[@petergallina1610]

This is great! I've been following Gersh for a while, glad to see he's finally getting a moment of recognition.

[@oldretireddude]

You should separate moving violations from tolls. Infrastructure spending should not depend on moving violations. Government officials certainly do need to be held to a higher standard.

[@EricGyamfighettotastic]

No tolls are insane

[@michaelmcnabb9748]

License plates are how tolls are collected in NYC as well, so they are dodging tolls as well

[@oldretireddude]

@@EricGyamfighettotastic Tolls make the users pay for a piece of infrastructure. Other wise the entire state pays even if they never use it. Tolls just need to be easy to pay, not empeed traffic.

[@Sufferingnomad]

Above the law??

[@MichaelSidneyTimpson]

are you kidding--it is primarily how things are paid and also makes the streets safer..win win

[@laalaa99stl]

I'll thank you right now. But that's not what the segment's called. 😁

[@OriginalPiMan]

On the other hand, we can thank him now because now is later.

[@jayluck8047]

Ghost-Plates are nothing new. This guy is a unicorn though.

[@sussekind9717]

There was a truck driver in Florida who got caught running through toll booths. He had a wire cable connected to his license plate. This way, from the cab, while he was driving, he could pull it, and it would lift up the license plate so it could not be read. Tolls in Florida, like most states, go by the number of axles, so it's actually quite a bit more expensive than a passenger vehicle.

[@196cupcake]

He's a hero.

[@latenitecaptain]

Bless this individual.

[@QueenSaffryn]

Imagine that, cops finding ways to not only not do their jobs, but also break the law, it's almost like when you pay a thief to guard the vault, and are then surprised to find the content of said vault missing down the line. I'm not saying cops are thieves and lawbreakers who abuse their position of power and authority.. there's plenty of proof for that, so I dont need to :) As for all the legit cops who are honest people, this reflects poorly on you, get rid of the rotten apples before they spoil the bunch, dont let them hide behind the badge, this is why people dont trust cops.

[@Malidala]

Cops also love doing overtime fraud, costing the state massive amounts of money.

[@WakandanSpider777]

He’s such a New Yorker I gotta respect it

[@BM-tk1cn]

That guy rocks! he needs a congressman or council person to push it and get the people in trouble

[@sharongarrett4356]

Yep. He reminds me of a story I heard of a lifeguard being forced to wear speedos so they could get rid of the older lifeguards. The guy ran for smthg to get that overturned....

[@guyb7995]

& cops wonder why no one respects them anymore.

[@LE-te9vx]

This did not go the direction I was expecting but thanks to the both of you for bringing this to wider attention.

[@Imgunnabenicer]

This dudes my hero.

[@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460]

It's interesting. A month ago, I pulled out of a car wash, they dried it and did the tires, then I got ALMOST two blocks away from the car wash before a cop pulled me over to say one of my tags was peeling. She had me sitting there for THIRTEEN MINUTES, and then after running my license and seeing I am as close to a saint in driving as a person could be, she gave me a "warning." I went straight to the DMV to order new plates (first time in 28 years!). It cost me $10. I am not a cop. *The actual cops have **_zero excuse_** for breaking the law and I kind of feel like they should be fired and put in prison immediately for even the tiniest of infractions.*

[@awAtercoLorstaIn.]

Ghostplate killah 😂😂😂

[@liangflrs02]

This is not hero we wanted but hero we deserve.

[@lostfool]

Where I live most of the cops have 5% tint all around their cars and front plate removed but they give out tickets for those violations all day long.

[@ecamp6360]

More about dodging tolls than speeding, certainly in NYC.

[@stephenjohnson5589]

This guys a hero

[@CommunityTheatre]

Gersh Kuntsman is a Fred Armisen character who came to life

[@nogmo100]

Such a great direct action

[@adshdhhhd7783]

I'm worried for this guy's security honestly.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

This guy should be hired by the mayor and given the ability to write tickets to the offenders. And also hire a few helpers if the revenue supports it

[@calexprenas]

This. Really hope he stays safe and no vengeful cops come after him. Courageous, principled man that deserves better from the city he voluntarily serves.

[@MagnumCarta]

Everyone went from calling him a snitch to cheering for him when they realized most of the people doing these exploits are cops themselves. Also F the police who do that.

[@oonegro82]

To service and protect themselves....🧐

[@healthstudent]

This hero we need!

[@andrewberardinelli1749]

Part of me wonders how this could've been seen differently if they didn't mention it was mostly cops and the like. This man is doing a great service to hold people who were given the privilege of a license to drive accountable for their actions, while exposing a flawed system. This problem exists everywhere in this country and it's gotten so out of hand that when accidents occur that involve cyclists and pedestrians, we tend to side with the car

[@danielom8446]

cars are evil for ecological and basic human reasons like our awful infrastructure, but cops are evil-er

[@nomore6167]

"and it's gotten so out of hand that when accidents occur that involve cyclists and pedestrians, we tend to side with the car" - There's a reason for that. It's because MOST cyclists and pedestrians do NOT watch where they're going, they do NOT pay attention to the world around them, they pull out into traffic and cross the street wherever they want (not only at a crosswalk), and they don't wait for the signal if they ARE at a crosswalk. How many times have you seen people walking along, looking only at their phone, not at whatever is in front of or around them?

[@andrewberardinelli1749]

@@nomore6167 incorrect

[@uncanny_mac4660]

We all went from thinking this man is a narc to needing to protect him at all costs...

[@karikling6751]

Why is it they're a narc when they're fixing the plates of people who aren't cops, but they're a hero when they're fixing cops' plates? Don't get me wrong, I want cops not to cover their plates, either, but dangerous driving isn't exclusive to cops. If you're a regular citizen who is speeding and running red lights, putting other people's lives at risk, you should have to pay the consequences. I live in Philly, and we have a lot of drivers with no plates, covered plates, or fake paper tags and plates. Many of the bicyclist fatalities in the city were hit and runs. If a camera can't pick up their plate, they can't get held accountable, and that's a problem even if the driver isn't a cop. I was assaulted by the passenger of a car without plates, and they were filming it. The police took the report but essentially couldn't do anything because there was no plate to track down.

[@kateashby3066]

My neighbor is a cop and has a ghost plate!! 😂

[@Malidala]

livestock don't count as neighbors.

[@randell9667]

@@Malidala Oink

[@olistorm1]

I really want to see more of this segment!

[@UmmmmmmmWhat]

I expected to hate the guy... ...but now i want to start a gofundme for an electric bike so he can roam to more precincts and afford all the paint markers he wants in a spectrum of colors to fully color in his license plates. 😂

[@dang801]

Wow - great segment, great story, great video! Love it

[@bwallatube]

this guy is fantastic

[@temporaladvisor3958]

I fear for this man's safety. NYPD has killed for less.

[@Newyorker000]

Gersh is a legend. ❤ thank you!!

[@jakec5472]

This man is a hero.

[@2beJT]

Painting the cops plate for the 3rd time. Can someone find out why the cop keeps scraping his plate?

[@randell9667]

I think it's to avoid getting tickets.

[@NotSeregnar]

Thanks, Michael!

[@meghasaravanan9761]

This guy is adorable

[@golach420]

Corrupt NYPD cops? Naw, surely not? 😂

[@AOCII]

LOVE this segment haha

[@irenes.2807]

I love his handle!

[@CaptainTedStryker]

"Laws and rules aplenty for thee, none of which apply to me." Said the oppressors...

[@LordMoldoma]

I hope this inspires a movement in the people of New York. We need more people out there doing this. The only thing is that I’m afraid it might become a situation where individual counties or the state will attempt to criminalize “license plate tampering.” Or something thereof.

[@amuletk]

Safety first. Thank you for doing this.

[@krishurlburt7375]

What does this have to do with safety?

[@bastimeier]

In a failed country, where everybody owns at least one gun, this man has no fear.

[@immilkdagod2905]

not in new york...

[@Glimmmerra]

*Who told you everybody owns at least one gun? Eyeroll Paranoid much?*

[@BouncyBrown]

​@@Glimmmerra there's some statistic that "America has more guns than people" but he's misinterpreting it. it doesn't mean everyone has a gun. it means that there are wacko gun nuts who own hundreds or thousands of guns. most people don't own any.

[@paulas_lens]

​@@Glimmmerracome to arizona

[@JaTjr32]

Zero guns over here. Same as a lot of people I know.

[@Lycan_24_7]

Definitely putting their lives on the line. Thank you for your service!

[@IDadGoodAlot]

Great segment! Great job, Kosta!

[@Shantari]

I love this guy! He's my exact type of annoying.

[@IHScoutII]

Stay safe my man🚲🚴🏿‍♂️

[@Alucard1191]

I absolutely loved this story/bit. Well done, keep it up

[@old_grey_cat]

Kudos to all involved in this one.

[@jonnyspade]

Great segment

[@HowdyDuty4]

At first I was against him, then when he said it was cops he was busting, I wanted to help!

[@angryox3102]

I had the same reaction 😂

[@2bunnies254]

Luv the episode Ronni!

[@annaruff5118]

I was so mad at this guy until he said he was busting cops. Immediate respect lol