Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Neighborhood 'zoo' of blocked driveways leads New Yorker to boot someone’s parked car
By
Carol Chen
Published Oct 9, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Carol Chen/Gothamist
By
Carol Chen
Published Oct 9, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Aaron Hardy was sick and tired of people parking in front of his Staten Island house and blocking his driveway. He put up a "No Parking" sign on the chain-link fence out front, warning that “unauthorized vehicles will be towed away.” But it kept happening.
So, last Friday, Hardy, 52, decided he wasn’t going to take it anymore.
When he spotted a gray 2015 Jeep Compass blocking his driveway in the borough's Stapleton neighborhood, he attached a boot to the vehicle’s front left tire, locking it in place, and left a note on the windshield, Staten Island prosecutors said.
“I seen you looked at the do not park sign and still park there $25 to take the boot off,” the note read, followed by a phone number, according to the criminal complaint.
The driver of the vehicle, who had parked at about 7:30 a.m., discovered the boot at around 3 p.m., the complaint said. Hardy told police at the scene that he had “papers that I could do this,” it said.
“I have a no parking sign here; she was blocking my driveway,” Hardy told police, according to a summary included in the complaint. He then removed the boot with a key.
Hardy was taken to the 120th Precinct stationhouse, where police discovered an electronic stun gun in his pants, resulting in a felony weapon possession charge, according to the complaint.
Hardy has also been charged with coercion in the third degree, attempted petit larceny and attempted criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree.
Hardy’s lawyer, Kelvin Richards, acknowledged Hardy had booted the car. But he said the driver had interfered with a car wash and repair business that Hardy runs out of his driveway.
Hardy claimed he called 311 and was told he could boot the car blocking his driveway, according to Richards, who said he had not yet confirmed the account. New York City has no provision for angry residents to boot other people’s cars without a license to do so.
Hardy’s neighbors on Waverly Place, a dead-end block about 1.5 miles from Stapleton Waterfront Park, didn’t condone what Hardy did, but they understood his frustration. Ever since P.S. 84 opened on the block in 2022, teachers, staff and parents have competed for spots on this small street, often inconveniencing residents.
“Every day it’s a zoo for parking,” said Vincent Barranco, a plumber who has lived on the street for seven years. “Parking is very hard here, especially with the new school.”
Barranco said he finds a car blocking his driveway once or twice a month. In early September, he found one vehicle blocking his driveway and another blocking his work truck, and he had to take another vehicle to the job.
Barranco said he’s tried calling police at the local precinct, but they don’t respond with the urgency he thinks is called for. The most they will do is ticket the car, rather than tow it away and free up people’s access to their driveways, he said.
Still, he thought that Hardy went too far.
“You shouldn’t block a driveway, number one. But that doesn’t give you the right to boot somebody’s car,” Barranco said. "First of all, why did he even own a boot? That's not something a normal person has."
Denzel Green, a paraprofessional who has lived in the neighborhood for four years, called the booting “way out of pocket.”
“Doing something to somebody else’s property is already against the law, and then trying to charge them for it is a whole ‘nother crime on top of that. Quit while you're ahead, boss,” Green said.
Hardy is back at work, Richards said.
“He’s still adamant that people cannot park in front of his business,” Richards said. “I just told him he should be careful.”
Tagged
news
transportation
Carol Chen
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
The fallout from an electrical fire, among other safety and maintenance concerns, has sparked anger inside the 40-story tower known as The Greenpoint.
By
David Brand
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
The announcement comes as Mamdani faces mounting criticism from the left for his approach to policing.
By
Michael Sol Warren
News
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
The announcement comes as Mamdani faces mounting criticism from the left for his approach to policing.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Company that won $23M NYPD building contract was investigated by LI watchdog
By
Ben Feuerherd
Plainclothes ICE agent with long gun looked like mass shooter, Mayor Mamdani says
By
Michael Sol Warren
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
By
Giulia Heyward
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .