Blogfinger

If they tow your car, this is where they take it. Or maybe they’ll tow it to Ocean Grove’s north end dirt lot.   Internet photo.

By Paul Goldfinger

This is a common problem in the Grove, especially when someone parks a vehicle in front of your house and doesn’t move it.

The township passed an ordinance last October called #17-40.  Below is the main part, and if you read it, you will see that the procedure for handling the situation is a bit murky. So what is the reality of the situation?   Click on the image to read it easier.

The correct terminology is an “abandoned vehicle.”  If someone is parked on an OG street with an invalid registration, then it can be immediately towed away (“impounded.”)  If it is “a junk vehicle”  (eg  all the tires are flat and the windows are busted) it can be towed immediately.

But if a car is just parked and not moved, technically it has to be stationery for 30 days to be towed.  But it is difficult to document the 30 days.  The police have to use their best judgement because the ordinance doesn’t spell it out. It reminds me of the current  proposed ordinance regarding the new 3 hour parking rules on Main Avenue.

If you see a car that appears to be “abandoned”  (ie not moving for days or weeks) then call the NTPD.  You don’t have to wait for 30 days.   They will come down and investigate. At the very least, they will initiate a paper trail. Sometimes the officer will try to call the owner to find out what’s what.  He will “run the plates” and check the registration. Police can check a car’s registration using a special scanner.     Out of date inspection stickers don’t count, because that is a “moving violation.”  (That’s what they used to call a “date” in my frat house.)

If you have any questions, direct them to the NTPD.    732 988 8000.

JOHNNY CASH