A construction foreman was arrested after he allegedly used a company backhoe to pull out cars at a construction site on the Upper West Side Monday, according to law enforcement sources.
When a construction crew needed access to pour cement near a sidewalk on West 87th Street near Columbus Avenue, the workers decided to take matters into their own hands, the law enforcement sources said.
Surveillance video shows them using an excavator vehicle to pull away a white sedan. Another car appears to be pulled away, tied to construction gear with chains. The cars were towed about 45 feet.
The owner of one of the vehicles told NBC 4 New York his car received scratches and dings as a result.
"It's one of the most bizarre things," said Remy Ash. "I guess you could say only in New York."
"I almost felt a little silly about it for a second, and then I thought, as I talked to the cop, 'This is serious,'" said Ash. "These guys could have easily damaged my car."
There were "no parking" signs posted at the site earlier, but the construction crew's forced tows was illegal, according to police. Ash maintains he didn't see any signs and that he was parked legally.
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"Sometimes people take things into their own accord and think they can do whatever they want to do or don't have to follow the rules," he said.
The 48-year-old crew foreman and another construction worker face misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment, auto stripping and reckless driving, according to police.
