Update: The original owners have been found! Owner Emilee Hickert told Daily Intelligencer that she had to pay $193, but she had her car back. In fact, she actually saw on security footage when the “perp” drove off with her, and she assumed it was being stolen. Read the whole story below.
Having a car in New York can be a recipe for disaster, and this Brooklyn story is the stuff of urban legend.
It all started when Red Hook resident Nekisia Davis asked her mom to watch her dog — and move her and her friends’ cars. Davis, who was going to Miami for the weekend with two friends, had used her extra frequent-flyer miles to fly her mom up from Houston. The women left the keys to all the cars and the instructions about alternate-side street parking — two of the three cars were parked on Davis’ street, and the third, a green Honda Civic, was parked on a nearby street. On Saturday, her mom sent her a text that “all cars moved successfully yay.”
The women returned late Monday. When they went to retrieve their cars on Tuesday, Davis’s mother pointed out the green Honda Civic she had moved — but there was one problem. It was not her friend Deanna’s car. Davis’ mother had accidentally moved a different car, and Deanna’s car was still in its original spot, not ticketed or towed, despite staying through the street cleaning.
Davis said she has heard around the neighborhood that the people who owned the car had been visiting for just the day for a distillery tour. Davis said the police told her a police report had been filed for the stolen car, and they are trying to locate the people who filed the report.
The 76th Precinct would not comment to amNewYork about the case, although the NYPD told Daily Intelligencer that “an officer has been sent to recover the vehicle while they try to get in touch with the owner.”
Davis has posted signs around Red Hook about the car, explaining what happened and where it is currently located. The signs read: “I didn’t steal your car, but I think my mom may have. It’s a long story. I’ll explain, but your car is safe and sound.”
She is urging the real owners to contact her at nekisia@gmail.com or 718-909-8550.
As for the owners of the car, Davis said she wants to tell them “my apologies for my mom — she’s not a criminal at heart!” As for her mother, Davis said she felt guilty at first, but now “she’s sees the humor in the situation.”
