A DESPERATE mother had to track down a tow truck operator who hauled away her family vehicle with her child sleeping inside.
The family was in the middle of a road trip and had stopped at the Baymont Inn and Suites in Lakewood, Colorado, on October 18 to wash their clothes.
Alex Vesile had been moving bags in and out of the car as the family left the 13-year-old boy sleeping in the backseat.
However, during his back-and-forth trips to the car, Vesile, the boy’s uncle, realized the vehicle was missing from the parking lot.
“Oh my. What do you think? I think someone had stolen my kid,” Vesile recalled the frightening moment to Fox affiliate KDRV-TV.
The family quickly called Lakewood police and filed a kidnapping report.
“Our sergeant in charge made the quick decision to treat this as a legitimate kidnapping and quickly gathered all available LPD resources,” a Lakewood Police Department public information officer told People.
With the help of family members and the hotel, law enforcement used security cameras on the premises to determine a tow truck operator repossessed the vehicle.
The vehicle, which had a tracking system, was eventually located minutes later by police and was stationed at a tow yard 12 miles from where it was repossessed.
When police arrived at the tow yard, the 13-year-old boy was still sleeping.
Authorities said the tow truck operator had no clue the boy was inside the car.
“The driver of the tow truck was just as shocked when we informed him that a boy was in the back seat,” Lakewood police told the magazine.
“The boy’s parents informed us that they were preparing to leave for the East Coast and that he had been up playing Fortnight all night.”
‘LIKE A SHADOW’
Lakewood police described how the teen camouflaged in the backseat, almost like a “shadow.”
“He probably just looked like a shadow back there, the child was wearing all-black clothing and was sleeping in the back seat with the big black blanket over him,” police said.
“So, the driver was just as surprised, I think, as the child was when we showed up.”
KDVR-TV was on the scene to capture the emotional reunion between the boy and his mother.
The outlet spoke to the boy, who was sound asleep in the backseat.
“I sleeping in the car, I don’t know,” Mario Mustata told KDVR-TV.
“I sleep 10 minutes, and I don’t know.”
The teen said he did not wake up once during the car’s 12-mile journey to the tow yard.
Mustata said he only awoke when police officers banged on the window and then learned about what happened.
Lakewood police called the incident an “honest mistake.”
What to do if your car is towed
Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.
Steps to take when your car is towed:
- Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted “No Parking” sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
- Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.
- Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.
- Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.
If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:
- Be prompt – many states have a small window of time where it’s acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.
- Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
- Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.
- Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.
- Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.
- Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak Law Firm
