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NYC tows illegally parked trucks in southeast Queens after Gothamist report
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Mar 18, 2025
Modified Mar 19, 2025
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Courtesy, Sandra Long
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Mar 18, 2025
Modified Mar 19, 2025
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The NYPD and Department of Sanitation towed numerous illegally parked vehicles along a Queens street on Tuesday morning after Gothamist reported on the problem last week.
The two city departments worked together to tow the vehicles, Sanitation Department Spokesperson Vincent Gragnani said in an email.
The Sanitation Department towed two vehicles that had significant damage to them and no license plates on the stretch of roadway near Springfield Park in Springfield Gardens, Gragnani said.
An NYPD spokesperson did not respond to a question about how many trucks were towed Tuesday. But they said the local precinct and the NYPD traffic division towed 15 vehicles, and issued 81 summonses March 12 and 14. The spokesperson said earlier in the year, they towed 13 vehicles and issued 42 summonses. The action came in response to a community meeting in February, the spokesperson said.
Gothamist reported last week on truck parking in Springfield Gardens, which residents say has turned their neighborhood into a parking lot. On a trip to the neighborhood, Gothamist saw at least 17 commercial vehicles parked along the stretch of Springfield Boulevard, as well as trash bags, empty liquor bottles and even the body of a dead cat dumped on the sidewalk near the trucks.
Sandra Long, a resident of nearby Rosedale, said one side of the street was nearly all clear of commercial trucks when she went there on Tuesday morning.
“The east side of the street of Springfield Boulevard was majority cleared out,” Long said.
Sanitation workers clear up garbage in a neighborhood near JFK Airport where parks have been parking illegally.
Courtesy, Sandra Long
Before she left, word had apparently spread about the towing operation and she saw two truck drivers working to start a truck connected to a tractor trailer on the opposite side of the street.
Photos taken by Long and shared with Gothamist on Tuesday show a number of NYPD windshield boots — or “barnacles” — attached to trucks that were parked in the area. The devices block drivers from moving a vehicle until a fine is paid.
Another photo shows a large, yellow box truck being towed by an NYPD vehicle. Others show sanitation workers sweeping the sidewalk near where the commercial trucks had been parked.
State Sen. James Sanders Jr., who represents southeast Queens and the Rockaways, told Gothamist earlier this month that a lack of commercial trucking at nearby John F. Kennedy Airport was likely to blame for the issue.
“The origin of the problem is that we live right by Kennedy Airport. I would argue that everyone knows that people are flouting the law, but a real crackdown would cause Kennedy Airport — the business traffic there — to grind to a halt.”
The Port Authority has been in the process of adding 150 new truck parking spots since 2023, according to a press release from that year.
This story has been updated to include additional information from the NYPD.
Tagged
queens
public safety
Ben Feuerherd
Ben Feuerherd covers public safety and policing for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered federal courts for The New York Post and The Messenger. His work has also appeared in POLITICO, the Daily Beast and NBC New York. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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