An Illinois man is trying to figure out why New York City’s Department of Transportation continues to send him speeding tickets after informing them he’s never driven east of Michigan.
Grant DePorter, CEO of the Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group, has been receiving speeding tickets in the mail since July 2020. As of October 2021, NYC DOT has issued 13 citations, all from speed cameras.
The problem? Each speeding ticket shows a photo of a vehicle with Mississippi tags, not to mention, a different vehicle than DePorter's. The confusion seems to be centered on what the two license plates say: "HARRY."
"I’m all things Harry. My dog is named Harry too," said DePorter. "I’m never changing this plate."
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After days of attempting to reach someone, when DePorter got someone on the phone at NYC’s DOT, they told him he would have to fly to New York City to prove he had an Illinois license plate.
"I showed them the two photos. I emailed them. I said, you can see these are nothing alike [but] the person wouldn’t confirm that," said DePorter. "I was worried if I went to New York City, I would get arrested when I crossed the state border because of all these tickets."
When NBC 5 reached out to NYC DOT, a spokesperson told us the issue was being addressed.
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DePorter was surprised to learn that three violations remained outstanding. The spokesperson assured us those would be taken care of too.
The spokesperson added: "A contractor runs the DMV look-up component of speed camera enforcement and due to human error, the plate was connected to the wrong state. NYC DOT, along with the City’s Department of Finance, are able to reject the violation and then dismiss it upon review. The City dismissed all but three of the violations and they too will be dismissed."
The driver of the vehicle that continues to be cited has not been identified. It’s unclear if he/she ever received citations.
DePorter remains skeptical but thankful that his issue is finally being addressed.
"I’ve been putting all of my tickets up on my wall because it’s humorous," said DePoter. "I can’t believe someone in New York believes Mississippi spells Illinois."
To see his full story, be sure to watch the video above this article.
