The city that never sleeps might actually be the city that never gives its residents a break.
One local resident had to shell out almost $350 because the NYS inspection sticker on his dad’s car was expired one week.
Tony Iannuzzo, of Waterbury-LaSalle, said the 2005 Chevrolet Impala was parked on the corner of Baisley and Hobart avenues when he discovered the car was missing on Friday, October 27.
After calling 311, Iannuzzo was shocked to learn that the car had been towed by the NYPD as a result of the expired inspection.
Although it is New York City law that a car can be towed if a car has an expired inspection, it is extremely rare that it actually happens, according to 49th Precinct Officer Jay Sturdivant.
“I have seen cars get tickets for expired inspections all the time. I thought the car was stolen, to be honest,” Iannuzzo said. “I took the car in for a repair earlier in the month and I knew it had to be inspected, but it just slipped my mind. When I found out it was towed, I was in a state of shock.”
The car was being held at the NYPD impound lot at 745 E. 141st Street. When Iannuzzo went to redeem the vehicle, he learned that he could not drive the car out of the pound himself. Instead he needed to have his 86-year-old father Carmine Iannuzzo present since he was the vehicle’s registered owner.
After bringing his father to the impound lot from his senior center in Yonkers, Iannuzzo not only had to pay $205 to have the car released, but had to pay an additional $70 for a city-authorized tow truck to bring the car outside of the lot as a result of the expired inspection sticker.
Once the car was in their possession, the Iannuzzos and his father brought the car to a certified NYS inspection station, where the car immediately passed inspection. Frustrated by the whole incident, Iannuzzo went home to do more research on car inspections.
Iannuzzo knows there is nothing he can do, but is still in shock over the incident.
During these tough economic times, he believes the city is acting completely capricious and it is obvious that they will do whatever it takes to milk more money out of its residents.
“On top of a $65 dollar ticket, which I will gladly pay because I know the inspection was expired, I had to take an additional $280 out of my pocket because the car was towed,” Iannuzzo said. “I have never in my life seen or heard of an incident like this. Now we know there’s really no margin for error with an expired inspection. There is just no mercy and we all have to keep our eyes opened now.”
Reach Vito Signorile via e-mail at vsignorile@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 742-3383.
