Back in 2002, a 17-year-old New Jersey driver received a ticket in New York for not having her insurance card on her. And even though she apparently didn’t pay the fine, she was able to renew her license and commute by car to New York City ever day for the last six years. That is, until she was arrested last week.

“It was horrifying,” the woman, who was arrested after her license was randomly scanned at a checkpoint in Manhattan. “I sat in a holding cell for 14 hours with people who had gun charges, who were fighting each other.”

The woman tells New York’s NBC 4 that she’s been ticketed in New York since the original summons was issued in 2002, but there has never been any mention of the outstanding ticket.

She appeared in court and agreed to pay the $155 fine, though she’s not pleased that she was treated like a felon for a delinquent traffic ticket: “Couldn’t they have just impounded my car instead of taking me and putting me with other people who commit actual crimes?”

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.