Dry Leaves Destroyed 3-4 Cars Per Year In This North Jersey Town: Fire Chief

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Who would have thought that parking on piles of dry leaves can actually destroy your car? It used to happen in one North Jersey town three to four times each year, although the instances are decreasing, the town's fire chief said this week in an effort to warn residents.

(It also happened in an episode of "The Sopranos," in which Anthony Junior parked on a dry leaf pile and it set his vehicle aflame. That kid just couldn't catch a break.)

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"Luckily, we have not lost any cars in the past couple of years due to leaves," Livingston Fire Chief Chris Mullin told Patch on Tuesday, "but we have in the past."

In fact, in the past, the community would lose "three to four" cars each year, Mullin said on Tuesday, but awareness is gradually curbing the number, so to speak.

Mullin said “car fire season,” occurs in October and November, because cars park on piles of leaves left curbside for pickup.

The catalytic converter, which converts gases from the car into more environmentally friendly gases, can heat up the leaves under the car and cause a fire, he noted.

Leaf collection programs in many towns began late last month. Check your town's website for pickup instructions. For instance, in Caldwell, you can check here.

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