Legal Question in Administrative Law in New York

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have reported my car stolen on the day I found out (less than 24 hours since I last saw it). This has taken place 2 months and 3 weeks ago. All this time, no one has contacted me with any information or updates.

Yesterday, my father, acting on a hunch decided to pay our local precinct (where we've filed our stolen vehicle report) a visit. Receiving no information from them and advised to wait for a call from the police (if and when it is found) he returned empty-handed. Give it less than an hour and my house number voice mail and my cell phone inbox was filled with 3 msgs informing us that the car was found 10 days after its disappearance, more than 2 good months ago. We were directed to contact the sanitation department of NY, which I did, and by whom I was directed to the auto wrecking company that informed me that my car has been turned into scrap metal within 9 days of it being found.

I have not being contacted or informed of all of this until I inquired myself. The sanitation department claims it has put the information in the NICB data base and does not need to contact the police to have my car towed since it didn't have the license plate on it (but the VIN present). The NYPD still argues it has the case open in its system (Although it was a police officer who left these msgs yesterday with all the information of the date my car was found and by whom). And the towing company refusing to discuss anything. In short, I'm given the run-around.

My superficial scanning of the NY Administrative Code pertinent to Removal of Stolen Vehicles clearly indicated that police authorization must be acquired prior to any removal and that I must have been "expeditiously" informed of it.

Who is responsible for this inefficiency??

Thank you in anticipation.


Asked on 12/17/09, 8:50 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Locksley Wade Law Office of Locksley O. Wade

Your car may have been stolen and then abandoned and it was subsequently towed and deposed by the Sanitation Dept. Rather than trying to figure out who is responsible for "paper work" your question should I am liable for any monetary payments? Just make sure that you file a report with the DMV that your vehicle was stolen and if so, the plates were stolen.

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Answered on 12/24/09, 5:10 am


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