Bed-Stuy residents claim auto shop is hogging up parking spaces with shady vehicles

Rows of cars on St. Andrew's Place are making it hard for residents to find a space, and they say it's been a nightmare for years.

News 12 Staff

Jul 15, 2021, 11:57 PM

Updated 1,240 days ago

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Residents in Bed-Stuy say a local auto shop is taking up all the open parking spots on their street.
Rows of cars on St. Andrew's Place are making it hard for residents to find a space, and they say it's been a nightmare for years.
Some claim a nearby auto shop moves license plates to different cars -- some have no plates at all. They say they tried to voice their frustrations to the shop but say there was no compromise.
Fed up and without a resolution — they started compiling data on all the cars and noticed that some have been here for months, even years. They say they also found that plates don't match the VIN numbers.
Residents are worried about the seniors and disabled community members on the block having issues finding a spot close to home.
"You should be able to park within a reasonable distance of your home, and unfortunately, because of the actions of this auto body shop, that's not possible or us," says Alexa Schachter, a resident.
Aman who identified himself as the owner of New Horizon Auto Body tells News 12 he parks his cars in a separate lot and is not responsible for any of the cars parked on nearby streets. He says he has told N&B Auto Care next door, that they should move the cars.
A mechanic at N&B Auto Care said the cars are legally registered and that they have spoken to New York police, who tells them it is not illegal.
However, police sources that patrol the area tell News 12 they have been trying to get rid of the cars -- many of which are dilapidated -- but when sanitation comes out, they say the staff gets very aggressive.
Neighbors plan to bring their frustrations to local elected officials.
The city's department of sanitation said in a statement, "We have responded to several complaints of derelict vehicles, but in each case, the vehicle was claimed by owner, and NYC sanitation cannot remove private property."
It added the area is on its radar.