Parking At Toms River ShopRite Lot? Beware

It's not uncommon for people to choose a place -- often a convenient parking lot -- to meet up and carpool to an event, especially when they don't live near each other.

Most times, it's not a problem. But there are some places -- including some shopping centers in Toms River -- where not only is it an issue, but doing so could leave you with a hefty towing charge, as some residents are finding out.

Judy Sweeney found that out the hard way when she met a co-worker at the Crossroads Center parking lot, on Route 37 at Route 166, a couple of weeks ago to carpool to a class. The two met up about 7:30 a.m. in the parking lot near Staples and Sweeney locked her car and left. When they returned, sometime around 4:30 p.m., the car was gone.

After making a couple of phone calls, Sweeney learned the car had been towed from the lot by All Hours Towing of Manchester. The cost to retrieve it was $240, and it had to be paid in cash, she said. The towing company informed her that the parking lot has a three-hour time limit, and that signs are posted at the entrances to the shopping center warning that it is private property and giving the information on the towing company.

Sweeney, in an email to the Patch, expressed frustration with the situation.

"There are absolutely no clear signs in the parking lot stating this policy, only the small sign as you pull in and unless your coming to a stop at the entrance off a busy highway, it is easily missed," she said.

"I was told there was a three-hour limit on leaving your car which is ridiculous for a shopping plaza," Sweeney said. "I can easily leave the car longer if I were to go to lunch and then shopping in that plaza.

"What about the people who may frequent Social 37 or Buffalo Wild Wings who make the smart move not to drink and drive and leave their car after they have been at the bars in the plaza?" she said. "They too get penalized for doing the right thing."

The shopping center is owned by Dan-D Inc., the company of the D'onofrio family. A call to Dan-D Inc on Friday morning was not returned.

R. Garry Mundy, the assistant township attorney for Toms River, said towing on private property is controlled by the state Division of Consumer Affairs and its Predatory Towing Prevention Act.

That law says towing companies must put signs that are a minimum of 36 inches by 36 inches stating the name of the towing company, contact information and the fact that the property is private property at each entrance. The law also sets the towing fees, as well as payment methods, saying that if a towing company accepts credit cards, it must accept them for towing from private property.

All Hours Towing is in compliance with the law as far as meeting the requirement to have signs at all entrances, the Toms River Police Department said.

As for the issue of payment, All Hours Towing does not accept credit cards at all, owner Jeff Kessler said.

"We do primarily repos (repossessions) and private towing," Kessler said Friday afternoon. He said they stopped accepting credit cards for payment a while ago.

"We had people turn around and tell their credit card company that they never made the charge," Kessler said, and it took months to get paid in those cases. "That's why we don't accept them anymore."

Kessler confirmed the three-hour time limit, and said it is enforced by security hired by Dan-D.

"They come out and check the cars, and if one has been there for too long, they mark it and tell us to come get it," Kessler said.

Kessler said people use the lot -- especially by Staples and Spirits Unilimited -- as a place to meet and drive to Atlantic City, though he said the actual number of cars that get towed is few.

Several years ago a similar issue arose at the Toms River Shopping Center across the street a few years ago, and after a lengthy public outcry signs were placed on the light poles closest to the stores, warning shoppers of the three- hour limit.

At Crossroad Center, the only signs are at the Route 37 entrance -- a chaotic spot with cars jockeying for the Garden State Parkway entrance just beyond -- and tucked back next to the ShopRite deliveries sign at the Route 166 entrance. Both are easy to miss if you're not looking.

Kessler said adding more signs has to be approved by the store owners, but said he would raise the issue with the shopping center owner.

In the meantime, if you park there -- beware.