Car Lockout in Paterson, NJ

The street-cleaning clock

This is general information, not legal advice. Under Section 435-131 of Paterson's code, the Department of Public Works removes snow from each street during that street's designated street-cleaning day and time. An unoccupied vehicle left in the way during those hours can be towed, and the owner pays for its removal and storage before getting it back. A car you are locked out of is a car you cannot move, so if that block's cleaning time is coming up, put it at the top of your request.

Where lockouts happen here

• Shopping streets. Market Street, 21st Avenue in People's Park and Union Avenue in the Totowa Section are lined with shops. A lockout outside a store may be at a curb with traffic passing, so stay on the sidewalk side of the car.
• Lakeview. The Paterson Farmers Market is in Lakeview, in the south of the city below Interstate 80. If you are parked near it, say so and describe where.
• Downtown. Among the Beaux-Arts buildings rebuilt after the 1902 fire, give the name of the building or business you parked beside, not just the street.

Heat, cold and anyone inside

If a child or a pet is inside the locked car, call 911 first, before anything else. NOAA describes New Jersey summers as warm and humid, and a closed car can become dangerously hot even when the air outside seems mild. Winters are moderately cold and occasionally snowy, so wait in a shop or a friend's car rather than standing at the curb.

What to send

• The street and nearest cross street, or the business you parked near, and which side of the street.
• The designated street-cleaning day and time for that block, if you know it.
• The year, make and model, and whether the keys are visible inside.
• Whether a person or animal is inside, after you have called 911.

If the keys are lost rather than locked inside, see car key replacement. More on the car lockout service and the Paterson page.