Greg’s Auto Repair and adjacent parking lot. Photo by Meg Bantle.
Audio obtained by the Advocate from the Northampton Police Department indicates that a dispatcher from the Northampton Police Department told Jeffrey Tenczar, the owner of Greg’s Auto Repair in Northampton, that he could tow 14 vehicles from his private lot on Saturday, March 24.
The issue came to a head on Saturday when people attending the March for Our Lives in Northampton parked in Tenczar’s private lot because it was unmarked. Tenczar reported that he called police before having the cars towed. The owners of the vehicles claimed that because the lot was unmarked, they could not have known that it was connected to the business. Many of the vehicle owners are now looking to take the issue to small claims court.
Before the audio was acquired, Northampton Chief of Police Jody Kasper said that “It’s on the property owner to know about posting,” but she could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon to clarify whether or not Tenczar got permission to have the vehicles towed.
This call was made at 12:16 p.m.
Dispatch: Northampton public safety this line is recorded?
Tenczar: Hey how you doing? My name is Jeff Tenczar and I own a business on Elm Street in Northampton Greg’s Auto Repair.
D: Mhm
T: And I just wanted to let you guys know I’m going to start trespassing tows … Trespassing cars out of my lot across the street cause …
D: Sure
T: That’s not a problem right?
D: It’s your property.
T: Yeah, no, right, I just wanted to make sure with you guys that I’m a … ’cause whatever’s going on down there they’ve got the thing loaded and I’ve got (interrupted) …
D: Honestly we don’t, we can’t have any say in your own property anyway so you get to do whatever you want if you feel as though you’re gonna.
T: No that’s fine, I just wanted to make sure that there was no a, issues with doing that.
D: No, nope, nope.
T: Alright thank you.
D: Sure.
Meg Bantle can be reached at mbantle@valleyadvocate.com.
