Cops Tow ‘Empty’ Van In Verona, Find 2 People Hiding Inside

VERONA, NJ — The job seemed simple at first. Take an "abandoned" van to a local impound lot. But when a New Jersey tow truck driver discovered a pair of stowaways hiding in the vehicle, things got a little more complicated.

According to the Verona Police Department, the unusual incident took place on Oct. 11, after officers received a report about a black van that allegedly left a Pompton Avenue gas station without paying for fuel.

The responding officer didn’t have to look far for the offending vehicle; he found a van that matched the description parked just around the corner from the gas station, police said.

The officer went up to the van to take a closer look, finding it was locked. He also discovered something else, police said: the smell of marijuana in the air.

The officer then looked at the van’s interior, finding weed on the front passenger seat and in a small compartment above the radio. However, due to the vehicle’s bench seats and “heavy tints” on the windows, he couldn’t tell if there was anyone in the back, authorities said.

He knocked on the van’s doors and windows. He asked anyone inside to come out. But nobody answered, police said.

Deciding that the vehicle was unoccupied, the officer called headquarters to have the vehicle impounded. The towing company arrived on the scene, hooked up the van and began to haul it away to the impound lot.

But while stopped at a red light, the tow truck driver felt something unexpected… a distinct “side to side” rocking coming from the back of the van, police said.

As soon as the tow truck driver felt the rocking, he immediately contacted the officer that was following them and told him what was happening. And that’s when the officer took a look inside the van and found two people hiding in the back, Verona police said.

Police arrested the two unauthorized occupants of the van and issued them multiple summonses. They were released on their own recognizance, authorities said.

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