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NYC license plate vigilante arrested after targeting Secret Service cars protecting VP Harris' step-daughter
By
Liam Quigley
Published Jul 31, 2024
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Stephen Nessen/Gothamist
By
Liam Quigley
Published Jul 31, 2024
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A vigilante who regularly calls attention to toll evasion caused a brief national security scare Tuesday after he ripped off license plate covers from cars assigned to the U.S. Secret Service detail protecting Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter, prosecutors said.
Harry Heymann, 45, was arrested by NYPD officers around 12:40 p.m. on Hudson Street near North Moore Street and charged with criminal mischief after first being detained by Secret Service agents, according to a spokesperson for the agency. The agents were protecting Harris’ 25-year-old stepdaughter Ella Emhoff, authorities confirmed.
The arrest drew national attention, with MSNBC reporting on “the incident involving VP Harris' stepdaughter's U.S. Secret Service security detail.”
The Secret Service did not say why the vehicles had license plate covers, which are illegal in New York state and have been subject to intense crackdowns.
In May, Mayor Eric Adams ordered law enforcement to target vehicles with the plate covers.
Heymann, a Manhattan software developer, did not immediately return a request for comment. He’s previously corresponded with Gothamist about unlawfully obstructed license plates.
Heymann was released without bail.
Streetsblog editor Gersh Kuntzman, who has gained notoriety for his own activism targeting toll evaders, said that "ghost cars" with obscured or missing plates have been involved in serious crimes and deadly crashes. He frequently highlights vehicles with obstructed plates and placards on the dash indicating the driver is in law enforcement.
“It's even worse because they're the ones charged with enforcing this very kind of crime,” Kuntzman said.
“And when they commit that crime, it's an egregious affront to public decency and also an abrogation of their responsibility.”
Kuntzman estimates he’s removed obstructions from or otherwise fixed about 200 license plates, including many associated with law enforcement – but never the Secret Service.
“I generally do not go after Secret Service vehicles for the obvious reason that by definition work being done by the Secret Service is sort of at a high level of safety for very important people,” he said.
License plate vigilantes have been charged with criminal mischief in the past, including lawyer Adam White, who was arrested after he said he tried to “fix” an obstructed license plate in Brooklyn in 2022.
Tagged
crime
manhattan
transportation
Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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