---
title: "Sneaky NY Driver Caught by Police With Fake, Hand-Drawn Car Inspection Sticker"
description: "C'mon, man—if you're going to try to counterfeit your state inspection, at least rope in a friend with good handwriting."
date: "2019-05-29"
modified: "2019-05-29"
authors:
  - name: "Stef Schrader"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stef-schrader"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/28287/sneaky-ny-driver-caught-by-police-with-fake-hand-drawn-car-inspection-sticker"
categories:
  - "News"
---

# Sneaky NY Driver Caught by Police With Fake, Hand-Drawn Car Inspection Sticker

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/05/emicert_970x546.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in New York wasn't fooled by 35-year-old Manuel Muniz's [alleged attempt to sneak](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/27018/reckless-nyc-cop-got-75-tickets-in-two-years-in-his-own-dodge-grand-caravan>) a homemade inspection sticker past them, according to [*Fox News*](<https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-man-busted-fake-inspection-sticker>). The maker of this faux-sticker nailed the overall shape as well as the layout of the months around the middle, but there's just something a little bit off about the type here. Let me know if you can spot it.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office posted this fake sticker on their [Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/nymcso/photos/a.1119299058092461/2373332392689115/?type=3&theater>) page if you want a closer look, but it's pretty easy to tell that it's a big square of red construction paper.

I have to say that I'm impressed with some of the effort on display here, from the barcode up top to the spot-on layout of the "Safety Emission Inspection Certificate." Sure, the [real version](<https://www.parkingtickets.org/ny-new-york/expired-inspection-sticker/>) says "Safety/Emissions Inspection Certificate," but we're giving our industrious cheat here some credit where we can. An attempt was even *sort of* made to put scribbles where the state crest would usually go. If the ink was just fresh, it might even be a solid 50-foot job!

![message-editor%2F1559155637848-ny.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1559155637848-ny.jpg>)
**MCSO Facebook**

Yet the handwriting itself may have been the sticker's downfall. I say this as someone whose chicken scratch is beyond bad: this is some pretty terrible handwriting. It's barely even legible in some places here, and kind of all over the place. Couldn't he have at least used something like a phone as a straight edge to line everything up right?

The cops weren't buying it. Muniz [was cited for driving an unregistered vehicle](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/28235/drunken-florida-man-leads-cops-on-140-mph-chase-then-calls-them-terrorists-report>), reports *Fox News*. The fake sticker was then posted to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Facebook page as a warning for all to see.

"So, we appreciate people who take some initiative, however, this will not work as your vehicle inspection sticker, NICE TRY!!" wrote the sheriff's office.

## Author
Stef Schrader is a former senior staff writer for The Drive. She started writing about cars in 2013 after meeting Jalopnik's editor-in-chief at a race track, where Stef can be found at every available opportunity.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefschrader/>)  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/stefthepef>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/stefthepef>)