Car towed in Newark

[wakkoyh]

Hey guys,

My girlfriend just got her car towed. The car had plates on it and had no signs of being abandoned or unable to be driven. The car was parked on a local street, legally. Can somebody verify that the car was lawfully towed? I read in an older post that somebody else had their car towed in a similar situation. The tow companies are notorious for charging outrageous fees ($220 for towing and $75 storage per day). Is there any ordinance that outlines what "reasonable" fees entails? On another forums, somebody listed Newark Municipal Ordinance 8:18-10 but I think it refers to cars towed and stored due to accident or stolen. The ordinance also refers to N.J.A.C. 11:3-38.1 which I'm having a hard time finding. Can anybody help me clarify how much the towing company is allowed to charge for the tow as well as storage? Thanks in advance!

[Eagle]

Are you sure it was towed and not stolen? Also, if it was towed, did the city tow it?

[wakkoyh]

Yes, we called the police and verified that it was towed by them.

[Eagle]

Ok, well the City has to give you a legitimate reason why you were towed. What reason are they giving you?

[wakkoyh]

So I found out it was because my girl put old plates on the car as she was trying to sell her car. Yeah, mistake. However, reading over the ordinance it states that there is a $65 maximum for towing a compact car and $10 for storage. We spoke to the police and was told that whatever the towing charges has nothing to do with them. Can that be possible??? Please help!

[mcas]

I too recently had a vehicle towed at my shore house. A property that I sometimes don't get to for weeks at a time. Long story short, I did not find out about the vehicle being towed for 4 weeks. What is the responsiblity of the towing company to notify the owner that they towed your vehicle?

Thanks!