An off-duty NYPD detective was arrested after he was seen driving a car with a fake license plate, police said Friday.
Det. Eric Blake’s arrest comes as cops continue to crack down on drivers of “ghost cars,” vehicles with fake or altered license plates to avoid tolls or commit crimes.
The 20-year NYPD veteran was heading south on Francis Lewis Blvd. in Queens at about 10:45 p.m. Thursday when he was pulled over for having an obscured license plate on his 2014 Ford, cops said.
As officers investigated further, they learned that the license plate was fake, the car was unregistered and uninsured and Blake, 46, had a suspended license, cops said.
He was charged with official misconduct, offering a false instrument, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, operating without insurance, and driving with a facsimile license plate.
His arraignment in Queens Criminal Court was pending Friday.
Blake joined the NYPD in January 2005 and is currently assigned to the Detective Bureau Queens South Video Collection Team, according to his department personnel file.
He’s made 249 felony arrests in his career and has been cited six times for Excellent Police Duty, his record shows.
