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Mystery car on Park Place — Brooklynian

Mystery car on Park Place

pnlop
pnlop
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights
There is a grey Saab parked on Park Place bet Flatbush/ Vanderbilt right next to a tree on the south side of the street that has been there for the longest time (at least since before last summer). It doesn't move for street cleaning and gets a ticket every time. The air in it's tires are pretty low. I don't know why it hasn't been towed already. Anyone know what the deal is?

Comments

  • fjord
    fjord
    that same car had a big ol' tree branch smash its windshield this summer. I think it's abandoned. so g'head and steal it.
  • pnlop
    pnlop
    Fjord wrote: that same car had a big ol' tree branch smash its windshield this summer. I think it's abandoned. so g'head and steal it.
    They tow for less. It's crazy that they just leave the car there.
  • neene
    neene
    there's another ticket collector on park between franklin & bedford
    hasn't been there as long
    but it doesn't make sense that these repeat offenders are not marked for towing
  • raw
    raw
    How long can an abandoned car stay on the streets? Doesn't the law come by at some point and tow the abandoned car away?
  • liftandcut
    liftandcut
    How long can an abandoned car stay on the streets? Doesn't the law come by at some point and tow the abandoned car away?
    I guess the neighborhood's not, um, "popular" enough yet. Give it another year. Sorry, I couldn't resist.
  • paraderest
    paraderest
    Does it have license plates on it? If so, not abandoned.
  • pnlop
    pnlop
    Today I finally saw a yellow sticker on the window. It might be on it's way out. It took long enough!
  • arches
    arches
    pnlop wrote: Today I finally saw a yellow sticker on the window. It might be on it's way out. It took long enough!
    Took a look this morning....that's just one of those sanitation stickers...it's not going to change anything (unfortunately).

    ParadeRest previously suggested that we report the car to the Marshall. Does anyone know how the Marshalls work? ie...is each one assigned to some region?

    Looking at the Marshalls list(http://www.nyc.gov/html/doi/html/marshals/marshal_dir.html), this guy looks closest (geographically).

    Schain, Howard
    370 Atlantic Avenue
    Brooklyn, NY 11217
    ph: (718) 330-0242
    fax: (718) 852-8876

    If anyone wants to submit some info (location, plate, make, color) on the other abandoned ticket magnets in the area, maybe we can submit a list.
  • jaha127
    jaha127
    so random on where they choose to tow cars... this morning on my way to work, I saw the NYPD towing a black car that was parked too close to the fire hydrant...

    (if anyone who had a black car parked on Bergen... sorry!!)
  • paraderest
    paraderest
    NYPD Traffic will tow for safety violations such as fire hydrants, no standing, crosswalks. They do not tow for unpaid summonses.
  • bkchickie
    bkchickie
    Can't you just call 311 and report an abandoned vehicle?
  • bklynbird
    bklynbird
    they probably figure the owner wouldn't bother to get it from the tow lot. = 0$$
  • paraderest
    paraderest
    bklynbird wrote: they probably figure the owner wouldn't bother to get it from the tow lot. = 0$$
    And then they auction it.
  • opossumqueen
    opossumqueen
    There was a car similar to that near our old place. Once people started using it for target practice for bullets and bricks at night, I called 311 and reported it as a seemingly abandoned car. The tires were flat, the windows all broken... A week or so later, it was gone.
  • paraderest
    paraderest
    BKChickie wrote: Can't you just call 311 and report an abandoned vehicle?
    This abandoned vehicle non-sense is getting old. There have been several threads about abandoned vehicles. Please search or browse the rest of the board.

    There are certain requirements that must be met for a car to be considered "abandoned". Just because it's been parked there for a long time and may collect tickets doesn't make it abandonded. Is the vehicle registered? In the case of the grey Saab, I believe it is. It's hard to articulate that a properly registered vehicle parked "properly" on a public street is abandoned. I say "properly" to account for the "but it never moves for SCR." argument.

    I'll have the Saab looked at today and see what can be done.
  • not rusty
    not rusty
    I had a similar issue with a car on my street in Sunset Park. Repeated calls to 311 and the local precinct were handled with courtesy but seemingly without results. The car (with out-of-state plates) had been sitting on the street for over six weeks.

    Per previous posting, unless the car has been reported as stolen, is currently unregistered, has had its VIN altered, etc. the NYPD and Sanitation won't make it a priority to deal with.

    I called the Community Board twice. Perhaps as a result, perhaps just timing, but the car was towed after my second call.
  • arches
    arches
    ParadeRest wrote: I'll have the Saab looked at today and see what can be done.
    Tks, Parade. You seem to know where it is, but just in case, here are the details:

    Saab 900 (Grey)
    in front of 184/186 Park Place
    MA plates, 21K S04
    Broken front windshield, sanitation sticker on left rear window.
  • stacey
    stacey
    ParadeRest wrote: [quote=BKChickie]Can't you just call 311 and report an abandoned vehicle?
    This abandoned vehicle non-sense is getting old. There have been several threads about abandoned vehicles. Please search or browse the rest of the board.

    There are certain requirements that must be met for a car to be considered "abandoned". Just because it's been parked there for a long time and may collect tickets doesn't make it abandonded. Is the vehicle registered? In the case of the grey Saab, I believe it is. It's hard to articulate that a properly registered vehicle parked "properly" on a public street is abandoned. I say "properly" to account for the "but it never moves for SCR." argument.

    I'll have the Saab looked at today and see what can be done.


    Yes but from my experience and other people I know who have had their car stolen, ticket agents never check to see if the car has been reported stolen. The first time my car was stolen I found it with at least 4 A.S.S. tickets on it and a sanitation sticker. The second time it was towed and it was the towing company who called me - not the police. This time it also had numerous A.S.S. tickets on it. How many tickets must an agent give before it is towed or checked to see if stolen.
  • arches
    arches
    stacey wrote: How many tickets must an agent give before it is towed or checked to see if stolen.
    From what I gather in looking around for info on the city Marshall, towing for ticket violations falls under the auspices of the NYC Dept of Finance. Basically, when you rack up enough tickets, the DoF turns the case over to the Marshalls, who are supposed to go tow the car to the pound. The ticket agent doesn't appear to have any say in the matter (which seems weird). Hard to explain why this hasn't happened - since this particular Saab must have >$3k in tickets by now.

    Marshalls aren't on the city payroll - they get paid a percentage of collections (eg, some cut of the auction proceeds for abandoned cars, or tickets/fees that eventually get paid after towing). I can't imagine a beaten-up 15 year old Saab would command a great price at auction...maybe the incentive for Marshalls is too low? I'm not an expert in the matter though.

    I agree that it's very silly that there isn't some link between stolen cars and the ticketing process. Especially now that they use those automatic scanners to issue the tickets. A little red light should flash, the police should be called, and the ticket agent should be given a Starbucks coupon(no...Joyce!, no...Gorilla!, no...Prospect Perk!) for their assistance in solving the crime. You can buy the cops a coffee - or a $12 vintage-inspired cocktail - when they return your car. Clearly someone's database isn't plugged into someone else's database.
  • bkchickie
    bkchickie
    If it bothers you that much, remove the plates yourself. Suddenly, the car is abandoned!
  • raw
    raw
    BKChickie wrote: If it bothers you that much, remove the plates yourself. Suddenly, the car is abandoned!
    Yeah, and knowing the way things work, a hidden camera will probably record the OP removing the plates and get the OP arrested for violating some law about removing plates.
  • king without a crown
    king without a crown
    Traffic enforcement agents have no link to the NYS Stolen Property Inquiry System. If they see a car illegally parked they simpley write it a summons. NYPD may tow an "apparently abandoned" vehicle using common sense as a determining factor. However, towing a vehicle is quite time consuming for officers and unless theres numerous complaints regarding a vehicle, it often will sit there for weeks being ignored.
  • nosleeptillbrooklyn
    nosleeptillbrooklyn
    for those of you seeking closure on this issue...the mystery saab on park place was towed today.
  • paraderest
    paraderest
    "arches"Hard to explain why this hasn't happened - since this particular Saab must have >$3k in tickets by now.

    You can actually go on the Dept. of Finance website and see that it has $1505 in unpaid tickets.
  • arches
    arches
    ParadeRest wrote: You can actually go on the Dept. of Finance website and see that it has $1505 in unpaid tickets.
    Ah, my estimate was only off by a mere 100%! Didn't realize the DoF site had that feature...good to know. Looks like it was making the rounds a bit before someone decided to abandon the car for good.

    Anyway, thanks for taking care of it...much appreciated.
  • pnlop
    pnlop
    nosleeptillbrooklyn wrote: for those of you seeking closure on this issue...the mystery saab on park place was towed today.
    Thanks, I now feel closure! I can finally move on with my life :D
  • wirenut
    wirenut
    King without a crown wrote: Traffic enforcement agents have no link to the NYS Stolen Property Inquiry System. If they see a car illegally parked they simpley write it a summons.
    Some traffic agents and cops will notice these quasi-abandoned vehicles and return day after day to summons it because this is an easy way for them to meet their quo....ah-hem PERFORMANCE GOALS.

    There is a strange balance that results from this:

    cops and agents get rid of more tickets without picking as much on regular violators. The rest of us car owners, deep inside, would rather see them giving the tickets to the abandoned vehicle than his own car or his neighbors car.
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