QUICK: Free This Car
Remember not so long ago when I told you Ford had lent me a car for 6 months… gas, parking, insurance, all included?
Remember when I said it got stolen?
The plot thickens:
If memory serves, last time we spoke Ford was tracking the car using the Lojack-like homing device they’d installed for just such an emergency. Turns out they were tracking the wrong vehicle. The one that on the joy ride from NYC to Boston, Connecticut and beyond? That wasn’t my car at all, just another car in the program. Nope, my car wasn’t giving off a signal at all. To some, this would seem to confirm the “stolen” theory (maybe the criminals, being smart enough to steel a car has a key-less ignition, had also disabled the device). I wasn’t so sure. But where could it be? The police said they didn’t tow it; their automated number said they didn’t tow it; hell, even my frequent and frantic calls to all of the city’s tow-lots all turned up the same response… “the NYPD does not have this car.”
This weekend though was supposed to be my first “mission” day. Ford had arranged for me and a lady (probably Kristina, but I reserve the right to call an audible) to take a hot air balloon ride. Only with storms on the horizon all weekend, the company running the thing was too scared to take the skies. With nothing else to do, I decided to go Kojack on this car problem.
STEP ONE: I staked out the place where I’d last seen the car. Kristina and I found a meter-man who said that on occasion cars get towed. And sometimes, just sometimes, they wind up in the system with the wrong plate number. When that happens, you’re pretty much screwed because the city will say they don’t have the car… and because they won’t let you walk around the lots they tow them to, that’ll pretty much be the end of it. Forever.
STEP TWO: Me and lady went to the main lot our friendly ticket-writer thought it would go to. They were closed, but did my best to see what there was to see through a fense.
STEP THREE: Run. It turns out “closed” doesn’t mean “empty.” When one of the at least two guards inside made eye contact, the police were summoned.
STEP FOUR: We returned about an hour later, and this time approached the problem from a different angle. The goal was to lift the lovely Kristina high enough so that she could see over a brick wall into areas of the lot I’d missed on my first pass.
“Hand me the camera,” she said, “I think I see something.”
I gave her my camera. She took just one picture, then it was “run” all over again. They really don’t like you hanging around this place.
At first glance the picture is fairly uneventful.
But wait, what’s that? Behind the blue car, backed up against the green van…
Those pink spots, that fun profile, those sleek yet powerful lines… yup, that’s my car.
Here’s the really fun bit though, I just got off the phone with place – again – they still say they don’t have the car and that it would be impossible to see in. Weird. That’s no fun. What to do now? Any ideas?
LINK: Fiestamovement.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Show them the picture and proof of ownership of the car to prove that it’s your’s? Or would that get you arrested for taking the picture in the first place?
May 26th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Don’t run. Let the police come and explain your story, since they’re the ones that swore the car wasn’t in their possession. Even if you end up in the pokey, Ford might applaud your diligence, and who knows what could happen from there… maybe the car will be yours forever.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:14 am
This is newsworthy. How may other people in the city have fallen foul of this?
Why don’t you call a local radio station, one with an eye-in-the sky traffic news helicopter.
It could fly over the lot so somebody could take pictures of the car. That would get around the “you can’t see it from where you’re looking” argument.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Tell Ford you found the fiesta … tell them a towing service has got it held hostage and won’t let it go. then both party’s can call the police and show the pictures… you were not trespassing- you simply just had a really good view of the car from another building GL
May 26th, 2009 at 11:04 am
I’m not really sure whether this is going to work or not, but couldn’t you just ask the police if they towed a pink /purple Ford Fiesta, because even if they got the license number wrong there is not possible way they could get this wrong. Unless, of cause, they are just keeping track of the license plates, but I think it is worth a try.
Just one question bothers me.
Why isn’t Ford finding the car with their tracking device?
I don’t really see a reason why the towing company should disable such a device. Weird, very weird.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:25 am
You’re going to have to do a Simpsons on this. Specifically the Lemon of Troy episode. In order to do this, you’ll have to get another car, park it someplace where it will definitely get towed to the place where your car is currently impounded, wait until nightfall, get out of the second car and get in your pink car and ram the gates.
Also, as a matter of interest, what happened to the ‘owner(s)’ of the car they thought was yours? Were they visited by the cops or something?
May 26th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Dude, go to the media. This is a great story. Let some local paper or radio station get ahold of this.
You won a car and it is being held hostage (maybe on purpose?) by some towing service. You KNOW that they have it, but they’re still denying it. It’s phenomenal.
May 26th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Wait for next tow in and get the attention of wrecker driver and give him 20 bucks if he lets you ride along, promise to stay in the truck, you just want photos to prove your car is in there. He will be a hero.
May 26th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
@Lee in OKC I already have photos proving it’s there… I’ve posted them above. Now I want the actual car to NOT BE THERE. I want it back.
May 26th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Call the governor and ask that he commute the sentence and pardon the vehicle. Or Call the state police and tell them that the vehicle is stolen, and you have evidence of who took it and where it is. Actually, I agree with all the comments about going to the local news station – there’s got to be more vehicles that are lost forever and are actually just impounded due to fat-fingering a computer.
May 26th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I have devised plan A, plan B and plan C.
Plan A
1. Send out a mass evite to a party you’re throwing in the impound lot include everyone in your address book, also include every civil servant(police chiefs, congressmen, the govenor, etc.) make sure to say there will be punch and pie even if there will not be a la South Park. It is imperative that everyone bring a camera as well.
2. When all the guests have arrived, have everyone jump over the fence.
3. Have everyone race to the car. With the winner being able to take the first picture on the hood of the car in an impound lot.
4. Take as many pictures as possible before the riot police come and arrest everyone.
5. Move the party to the local precinct and party till dawn.
6. At some point during the fiesta you should be able to convince a drunk officer to release the fiesta.
Plan B
1. Hop said fence to enter the lot.
2. Run.
3. Take a sweet picture on the hood of the fiesta.
4. Get arrested.
5. Make new friends in the poky, who should be able to teach you new and exciting skills to aid you in your subsequent attempt to liberate the fiesta from the impound.
Plan C – Fiesta for the Fiesta
Just throw a giant party outside the impound lot. Make up signs like “let our fiesta go”, “free the fiesta” and such. Start up chants like “What do we want? My fiesta. When do we want it? at some point in the near future, if that’s convenient” and “1..2..3..my fiesta is what need, 4..5..6.. stop being such d.. well you know”. Maybe get all the other Fiestas to join the party in solidarity. You could have the 140 fiesta march on the impound lot.
May 26th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
You’re missing the obvious point here…justice must be served.
Recruit your hippiest looking friends to start a protest. Stage a sit in. Make t-shirts that say “free the Pink Fiesta”. Hold an outdoor concert. Sell grilled cheese sandwiches. This could be the social (justice) event of the season.
May 26th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
i vote Plan C
May 26th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Did you think of having them compare the VIN numbers? I am surprised noone mentioned this. I am sure Ford has a record of it and would be willing to provide it if you explained the situation.
May 26th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Hey that lot looks familiar. Oh that’s right, they stol *AHEM towed my car once. On a holiday when they announced they weren’t towing. Took me 6 hours to get it back. Their computer (note singular, since its like the 1500s when you step into their office. I saw a druid in there) was down.
Safety in numbers – summon the power of all other Fiesta movement agents to gather and fight as one. I bet if you get the cars together they automatically form Devastator, or Captain Planet, or some Ford-branded derivative giant superhero robot of justice.
May 26th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
This happened to me in the Village about 5 years ago . . . my car had been towed but it didn’t show up in the system. When I called 311 and insisted it was towed, they told me that if it didn’t come up in the system, it hadn’t been towed, it’d been stolen. Told me to call 911 and report the car stolen! Long story short, it was in the huge tow lot on the Hudson and I got my car back about 4 hours later . . . and my first and only ride in the back of a police car. My advice? Go to the lot in person and ask to speak to someone. Oh, and make sure you’ve paid any outstanding tickets, they won’t give you back the car if you have a balance with the city!
May 26th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
i want in on that protest-y fun. finally a protest i would actually attend!
May 26th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Ask Agent 91 to drive over from Manhattan. Ask them if they have a car just like hers. Hers is Magenta also. They are kinda hard to miss.
May 26th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
[...] [Source: Zoomdoggle] [...]
May 26th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I like Neilo’s idea of going Simpsons on them. That’d be a cool mission. Maybe have 2 people in the car so one of you can drive the second car out first so as to not damage the Fiesta.
May 26th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
just contact ford fiesta and their lawyers will handle everything. your precious will be back in your arms in no time!
May 26th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
[...] [Source: Zoomdoggle] [...]
May 26th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
[...] [Source: Zoomdoggle] [...]
May 26th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
[...] [Source: Zoomdoggle] [...]
May 26th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Just makes you wonder how many other cars have gone “missing” because of this. I wonder how much they’re making at the car auctions.
May 26th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
[...] [Source: Zoomdoggle] [...]
May 26th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Get Kristina to go and distract guards. Jump the fence. Start your car. Floor it at a jump near the fence. While sailing over said fence in slow motion you must sound your dixie horn yelling ‘yeeh haaw!’. Swing by pick up Kristina, drive off into sunset, credits will roll to applause!
May 26th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
[...] point in the near future, if that’s convenient…”So, Autobloggers… any recommendations?[Source: Zoomdoggle]FOLLOW UP: Fiesta Movement car towed by The Man, not stolen after all? originally appeared on [...]
May 26th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
I thought the world was logical and the law unimpeacable. This scares me.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Dude… report it stolen. Then provide a tip with the photo to the police. Then go to the media. Bring plenty of donuts or they’ll beat the cr@p out of you.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:13 am
[...] Despite the evidence the folks running things refuse to admit they have the car. Welcome to impound hell, Mr. Bronstein. [ZoomDoggle] [...]
May 27th, 2009 at 5:16 am
I’m sure you’ll get the car back, but now I’m wondering, how much will you have to pay for having the car impounded for so long? They’ll never admit that it’s their fault for failing to realize that the car was actually there when you first called…
But seriously, go back there, and don’t run when they come to you. Tell them you know your car is in there, and that you don’t remember the license plate, but you remember the VIN number or something. They can’t be that thick.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Sounds like the city is pretty sure that the car was stolen, and you have proof that they are in possession of it – so I guess that means THEY STOLE YOUR CAR!??!
I guess I’d call the police and have them deal with this for you. I bet the city impound guys straighten up when you bring a constable in there with you.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I also like the idea of reporting this to the media – papers love to get down on city/bureaucratic stuff like this.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:45 am
@Joel, I like your plan… except for one thing: The impound is run by the NYPD. They’re all in the same gang my friend.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Wow, government intelligence at work. I hope you let us know how this works out! You really should let the media know.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Dude, it’s a freakin FORD. Let ‘em scrap it, the world will be a better place.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:33 am
hide in a car illegally arked and hop out when you are in the impound lot and pretend you were kidnapped and then be like “GTFO THATS MY CAR NO WAI” and then take a picture of you standing on the hood and then blog about your story and give me a prize!
May 27th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Hook up with the Improv Everywhere group. I’m sure they can help.
http://improveverywhere.com/
May 27th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Have someone dress up like a tow truck driver, show up at the lot with a tow truck acting like he’s supposed to be there, then tow the Fiesta outta there. The lot management will never even know it’s gone since they apparently don’t know it’s there now!!
May 27th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
wow, do you get a bonus from Ford from all this publicity you’ve organised for the new car by having it ‘towed’ and ‘impounded’?
May 28th, 2009 at 5:12 am
i saw on twitter the car was freed! we want full details!! (also, hoorah!)
June 11th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
[...] not-so-good: Jake Bronstein got his car impounded—but that wasn’t the worst part. It seems that the car’s GPS wasn’t working properly—leading [...]
June 11th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
[...] not-so-good: Jake Bronstein got his car impounded—but that wasn’t the worst part. It seems that the car’s GPS wasn’t working [...]
June 29th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Get a lawyer and sue the shit out of them. Sue the city for the cost of your lawyer fees and damages caused by not having a car for X amount of days.
June 30th, 2009 at 5:18 am
Have FoMoCo call in to the police department to demand a walk through by you, their representative, FoMoCo needs to fax you v.i.n data. Start the car to prove ownership.
July 3rd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I would just have a description of the car and the plate number, and talk to the person working the booth and ask if they could check for it, since there was probably a mistake. If they have a heart, they would help.
July 11th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Firstly go to ford and notify them of the situation
Secondly go to the media, they love this sort of stuff
Or if all else fails, go to court and bring a legal case against the NYPD and the impounders, that way you wont have to pay any storage fees and may possibly maybe get your car back in the near future
May 28th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
[...] Link: Zoomdoggle [...]