Within 1 minute of pulling into the lot I took the first photo then the second immediately after. Then the party started... the tow driver came to my car (third photo) and threatend me with physical harm because I took his photo. I told him to call the police he says he has already been to prison.

So I follow him out of the lot and thats when the fun really started. A police car immediately pulled onto Warren (I just now realize that he must have called them) then 2 more patrol cars arrive. The 6 police officers then proceeded to accuse me, ask for my license, and told me that I was harrasing the tow driver. They wanted to know why I was following and taking photos of the tow driver. I responded by saying that I am concerned that the car will be damaged because it is being towed on one wheel. They doubted me so I showed them photo 2 and then they treatened to arrest me.

JC73, I agree with what you say however the way this operation is setup is just shady. The tow operators are assholes, they don't follow city ordinances, the drivers go the wrong way down one-way streets (2nd)...

Just like most bad behaviors, there should be more incentive to prevent the act from happening once, not after-the-fact negative enforcement.

The whole thing is just a money making scam.

disclaimer: I've never been towed for parking illegally.

great post jc73!

when i worked across from white castle on jfk blvd, i would catch people parking there to hit up india square only to be towed almost instantly. they'd literally go into white castle to use the bathroom or buy a soda and the parking lot guy would come in and ask if anyone owned that car while another guy sat on a porch across the st. on newark ave. that's how shop rite's lot used to be about 10 years ago, walkie talkie guys, tow trucks just hanging out ready to go... it's died down a lot since then believe it of not.

You know the other day I was in shop-rite and when I came out I saw a man walking to his car with a Macys bag... so me being the nice neighbor say " You know they tow you for going to the mall from here"

him - " I know, they did it once before."
me - "um ok, so why not just pay the 2.00?"
him - "It's too much of a hassle"
me - "ok"

We should pit the Shoprite towtrucks against the JCPD booters and see who wins... They're both the masters of flirting at the edge of douchebaggery and legal ambiguity.

Mark.

FYI - so you know, they cant just pull away with cars that are AWD (esp. Subaru, Audi, and AWD SUVs). Basically all four wheels lock when the car is placed in park and towing it by just two wheels will damage the car.

Admittedly, I have done some illegal parking in my time, but have yet to be towed because my car makes towing painful and drawn out. (they could tow 2 cars by the time they get mine in the air)

I do think the tow truck drivers in JC a predatory (for that matter - when is towing not predatory?) and basically make up whatever they want to tow people.

I have seen this thread on here for months now,everyone complaining about how it is unfair that your car gets towed from Shop Rite, how the signs aren't big enough, I was only in Newport for ten minutes. First off nobody can park thier car walk to newport and be back in ten minutes unless you walk over take a quick look at the front door and leave. That being said second it is a PRIVATE lot, which means the owners can tow you out if your not shopping there. Why should the ownersa of ShopRite or BJ's let you park in thier lot if you are not shopping there. They have to make room for thier customers. Don't be so cheap pay the money to park in Newport if that is where you want ot shop. I hate people who complain about things that they have no grounds to complain about.

I was in shoprite one day and saw a man park his car near mine as I walked into shoprite I saw him go into the exit door of shoprite and buy a soda from the machine and then watched him walk out of the lot towards newport. I left shoprite went to pepboys, I had to go back into shoprite for something I had forgotten and as I left he was standing next to the ploice officer saying hewent shopping in shoprite and came out and his car was missing, the officer called the tow company for him, I had to be nosey and stick around for his line of BS, the tow company towed his car. The man claims he never left the lot but all the while he was standing there with a bag from Macys. When the officer asked if he never left the lot then where was his receipt from shoprite or bjs, and did he always go shopping in a supermarket with clothes from Macys in his hands.

How would you like it if someone came to visit your neighbor and parked in your driveway instead of thiers. Tell you what if you live in the downtown area let me know and I will park in your parking space or you driveway and go shopping at newport and see how you like it.

Bottom line is that it is a private lot and if you from the area you know this so please stop complaing about why the signs aren't bigger, and why you just can't park thier to go to newport of so that you can walk to the path to go to work all day and not have to pay for parking. Heres's an idea I know how you can save money sell your car, you'll never have to worry about parking again. I got a ticket two years ago for being illegally parked by Starbucks, so I paid it. A week later I got another ticket, so I paid that one also I knew I was taking my chances by parking there, so you know how I solved that problem I stopped going to Starbucks I figure if the companies can't find a better location for people to go there and not have to worry about parking then they don't deserve my business, do you think newport cares if you car gets towed out of shoprite.

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I've also noticed that they haven't updated the handicapped parking signs. They're still in those cement buckets with the wrong fees.

No.
Big.
Surprise.

i was at bj's today and i saw 2 people park on the edge of the lot close to the bank, get out of the car, and walk their way over to the mall. some people will never learn.

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The owners of the lot would pay for it, not the towing co.

Anyone have the number for the company that manages the lot?

Spray paint, graffiti or place large stickers over those signs. Let the tow companies fork out some money for a change !

From channel 7:
---------------------

7 On Your side

Battling predatory towing

Monday, August 18, 2008 | 5:28 PM

Seven On Your Side

By Tappy Phillips

NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- Finding a parking space can be tough, in part because some shopping centers only let people park in their lots if they are customers there.

A New Jersey woman and her mother went shopping, and they were shocked to find their car towed.

Elizabeth Craig couldn't figure out what happened to her car. She parked in a shopping center lot, and when she came back, the car was gone. And when she objected to the towing and got nowhere, she called for Seven On Her Side.

"To me, it's like vultures waiting for somebody to park their car, and then taking it," Craig said.
Story continues below
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She says her mother went into the Goodwill store while she went across the street to a flea market. And when she returned?

"The car was gone," she said. "So, you know, I was like, did somebody steal the car?"

Actually, it had been towed by Atlantic Towing. She paid $200 to get it back.

"I would really like to see the way that they do business changed," she said.

The signs say "parking lot for customers only." But Elizabeth says her mom was a customer. And they have proof - a receipt from Goodwill - time stamped at 11:58 a.m. That is just 13 minutes after her car was towed.

Seven On Your Side's Tappy Phillips: "You could prove that somebody in your car had made a purchase at the same time, was in a legitimate store?"
Craig: "Right."
Tappy: "Didn't matter?"
Craig: "Didn't matter."

Bergenfield police say they have gotten a lot of complaints about towing in the lot, but they can't do anything because it is private property.

So we went to the owner of the strip mall that hired Atlantic Towing. They referred us to the tower, who says Elizabeth and her mom both went to the flea market and then went to Goodwill only after they found the car was towed. That is something Craig says is ridiculous.

"I heard from a lot of people out there who had been abused by the towing industry," New Jersey State Senator Robert Gordon said.

In October, that will change. Gordon's new legislation would require signs warning shoppers to be three times bigger than they currently are, and they must be posted at every lot entrance.

"What the state can then do is pull the license, which is required under this law, and the registration, and these people can be put out of busness," Gordon said.

The new law would not only require licenses, it would also set the fees towers can charge. At the lot where Elizabeth was towed, we counted six signs, but none of them were visible if you park in front of Goodwill. But since the law doesn't take effect for a few months, Elizabeth's only recourse is small claims court.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?sec ... 7_on_your_side&id=6335387

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Or just go to A&P down the road a bit Come to think of it.... maybe the towing company is being paid by A&P to piss off Shoprite customers!

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Don't see why not... I guess they could argue that the car was in their possession for being parked illegally and you stole it from them... but they'd most likely just cut their losses and go tow another few cars.

Mark.

So, can anyone tell me about the cars that they drop off near BJs in the back?

Do they get the car details first so if you take it they will fine you or something, or if you spot it, can you just take it and go.

meaning, are there any consiquences.

Also, lets say that the tow truck is comming or the guy is there and he says that its waiting to be towed, can you just say "screw you" and leave since its not hooked up to the tow truck?

So I was out in my car in the lot near BB&B when I saw the towing truck arrive and drop off a van. Immediately afterwards it backed up to tow a BMW parked nearest to the mall. Seemed routine - but then there was this big thud!
The towing truck did not lower the clamp much and it seemed it hit the bumper instead of going beneath the car. All this while the towing guy never came out of his truck - he simply moved a bit forward - lowered the clamps and went about his business!!
I was pretty sure the bimmer would have got a dent - or at least a few scratches. I waited for sometime to see if the owner came looking for the car so I could tell him of his bumper - he didnt.
Out of curiosity - is there anything that the towing company could be made liable to in case of such mishandling? At that moment in time - i was thinking how could people risk parking at the lot while shopping in the mall. Risking towing fine might still be okay - but certainly not the dent ( I own a new car too). Maybe I should park in the paid mall parking while shopping at Shop Rite, BJ's to avoid any *mishandled* towing by *mistake* whatsoever.

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If you get towed while you're at the mall, well it's your own damn fault... but I got towed when I left my car at Pep Boys for service. The towing place (Danny's) claimed that even though the signs say "Parking for plaza customers only" or whatever, Pop Boys isn't considered part of that plaza... and if you don't park right outside their front door you're towable.

Mark.

(Oh also - it wasn't that my car had been there all day and they assumed I had left it there... Danny admitted that he saw me at Pep Boys and he knew why it was parked there for a few hours.)

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There are many signs but they are not very visible.

I suppose it doesn't help that NJ hands out drivers licenses to people who can barely speak English much less read it.

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There are plenty of signs throughout the lot telling drivers they will be towed if they are not shopping at those stores.

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The driver wasnt shopping there

long term this sort of behavior only hurts them.

1. Unsuspecting drivers get towed
2. towed drivers pay to get there car back
3. driver goes out of his way to not shop there again.

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They have to be quick, this is basically a scam. Because those #OOPS#ers know the owner is probably going to the bank, the auto shop, etc.. for a few mins before coming back/ to the supermarket. So they need to get the car out there ASAP before the owner comes back.

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The cars sit there only for 10-15 minutes while the guy takes other cars to the lot. I didn't see a boot, I doubt he puts one on there.

I saw them towing someone today. I have to say, that truck they use is impressively quick - just slides right under the car's front wheels and off it goes.

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So they tow the cars and then drop them next to BJ's? Do they then boot those cars or does someone guard them? Otherwise if you find your car back there you can just jump in and go.

Towing folks were out in full force today. I've never been towed by these guys but the whole deal is very shady. The tow truck drives down 2nd street the wrong way, illegal. He sppeds through the parking lot to pick up cars. He's pretty fast, he can pull up to a car and have it towed away in about 2 minutes without even getting out of the truck. When they are busy they keep the cars on the east side of BJs. I managed to warn a few people but thought I would come on here and remind everyone. Also got a few shots of his friend who calls in the cars. He didn't like getting his picture taken. Next time I'll get video of the tow driver driving illegaly and the fat bald guy who gives the victims the bad news. Guy who calls them in: Two cars behind the trailer were just towed:

I've seen tow-trucks in the A&P parking lot, they usually go after people who park in front of the stores instead of using the parking spaces.

If you hate shop-rite, try the A&P on the corner of Marin and Washington. The store is completely remodeled, very nice. & I've never seen a tow truck. But if you are going to the mall, for god's sake, park in the ramp.

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where were you shopping though? if you were at bj's or the shoprite at the time you were towed take it up with their management and take it up the corporate ladder if necessary to get reimbursed.

if you were in the mall then tough shite!

I avoid ShopRite like the plague because that lot is always horribly overcrowded. I'd rather drive the extra distance to a Hoboken supermarket than try to navigate the inconsiderate, oblivious drivers who seem to populate that lot. The stories of overzealous towing just give me another excuse to be lazy and add to my lovely FreshDirect box collection.

Next time this happen to someone... check the back of BJ's on 1st. They store the cars there until they can tow it back to their facility. I see it happen everyday- car after car!