Authorities are cracking down on illegal rides at airports in the New York City Metro Area to keep passengers and drivers safe. Port Authority officials announced the new effort in July, following a recent incident at LaGuardia Airport, when an unlicensed Livery driver was chased by cops through Terminal B before leaping off the second-floor departure ramp onto a car below.
The driver, Marco Morales-Carrillo, 32, smashed the roof of the car and seriously hurt his head before rolling onto the street and hobbling into a nearby SUV driven by his wife, police said. They were nabbed not too far from the scene after becoming snarled in airport traffic.
Police say this is the fourth time Morales-Carrillo has been arrested after allegedly trolling for fares at city airports.
Police are working with the Queens district attorney to increase fines and get stiffer penalties to deter these activities because unsuspecting passengers often get taken advantage of. A number of travelers and Yellow Cab drivers at LaGuardia said they were on board with the crackdown.
“If you come here from different countries or other parts of the country, you don’t know how much cabs cost and you find out later on you got ripped off five times more than what you should have paid, that amounts to stealing,” one traveler said.
Morales-Carrillo was slapped with a slew of charges including reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and unlawful solicitation at a transportation facility. Cops say his wife also had an open container of alcohol in the vehicle.
Source: ABC7 NY
