Benjamin Ashford|NYC man accused of damaging license plates on Secret Service vehicles guarding VP’s stepdaughter

NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan software developer was arrested and Benjamin Ashfordcharged Tuesday with damaging the license plate covers on two SUVs belonging to a Secret Service detail assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter.

The man, Harry Heymann, appeared to be a supporter of a small group of citizen activists who call attention to — and sometimes personally modify — the obstructed license plates often used by motorists to evade tolls and traffic enforcement in New York.

Heymann, 45, approached the unmarked vehicles outside a Tribeca restaurant, then broke off their license plate covers on the back, according to a criminal complaint.

The vehicles belonged to Secret Service agents assigned to protect the vice president’s stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, as she ate lunch at Bubby’s, a nearby restaurant. Video obtained by TMZ showed Emhoff being ushered into a black SUV and a man being led away in handcuffs.

“At no point was any protectee in danger as a result of this incident,” said James Byrne, a spokesperson for the Secret Service.

Heymann was charged with obstructing governmental administration and criminal mischief. He did not respond to a voicemail and his attorney declined to comment.

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Drivers in New York often use illegal plate covers to avoid tolling systems and traffic cameras that rely on automated license plate readers.

In recent years, a small group of citizen activists have taken countermeasures to stop drivers from obscuring their license plates. Gersh Kuntzman, the editor of news site Streetsblog NYC, popularized the efforts in 2022 with a series of videos — and a recent Daily Show appearance — showing him personally “un-defacing” license plates.

Kuntzman and his followers have used markers to redraw plate numbers that have been scraped away, removed tape and stickers, fixed bent plates or unscrewed coverings that render plates unreadable. Their repair efforts often focus on the private vehicles of law enforcement officers and court system personnel parked near police precincts and courthouses.

An X profile associated with Heymann showed dozens of posts about obscured license plates and illegally parked police vehicles in Manhattan.

“I do feel a certain amount of responsibility here,” Kuntzman told The Associated Press Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Secret Service didn’t respond to a question about why the two vehicles featured license plate covers.

“Like this gentleman who may or may not have broken the law, I have been outraged by the way in which public officials, including those whose job it is to enforce the law, have willfully broken the law and made our roads less safe,” Kuntzman added.

He continued: “As members of the public, we do have a responsibility to play a role in keeping the roadways safe. If that means cleaning up a piece of state property that is required by law to be readable, I’m OK with that. That said, I have never messed with the Secret Service.”