Tow truck tug of war

American Auto Body and Recovery, an auto shop that has been accused by Maspeth residents of abandoning junk cars on neighborhood streets, has been reinstated in the Directed Accident Response Program (DARP). The program permits certain companies to tow cars from the scenes of accidents.
American Auto was suspended from the program on June 30 after failing to make their DARP book available to inspectors, and was allowed back after paying a $1,500 fine. In addition, if the auto shop violates city rules twice within the next three years, their license will be revoked.
The suspension was rejoiced by residents of Maspeth, who had grown tired of seeing damaged and unmarked vehicles littering their streets.
“For the last three years, the community has been trying to work with them,” said Anthony Nunziato, a Maspeth civic activist and business owner. “There are too many broken and destroyed cars outside. You pay high taxes for a house and all of a sudden you have derelict cars on the street, and you are breathing in gas and oil. That’s also near the entrance of Maspeth. It’s not a very welcoming site.”
Gloria La Rocca, who lives directly next to American Auto, says that over 10 damaged cars could be on the street at any one time.
“There were a lot of cars that didn’t have license plates on them and had been badly damaged in accidents,” said La Rocca. “Nobody likes it when you live here, because it doesn’t give a nice look to your home having all these junk cars on the street. I think it decreases the value of your home also.”
La Rocca, who has lived in Maspeth for roughly 70 years, noticed a drastic improvement in the weeks that the body shop was suspended from DARP, and appreciated the effect it had on the beautification of the neighborhood.
Despite constant complaints, American Auto believes their practices are no different than those of any other body shop.
“There will be times when cars will be outside, but we put them right back inside,” said Patrick Forrestal, a supervisor at American Auto. “I don’t understand what the complaints are. If this is a problem in the neighborhood, why are you coming only to my shop? Why don’t you go to the other 40 shops that do this?”
Forrestal, who believes residents’ complaints are excessive, claims that any cars on the street have been released to the owner and have not been retrieved yet.
“Once we put it out on the street for the customer, I can’t physically touch the car,” he said.