I’m Liam Quigley. My day job is covering the parks and sanitation departments for Gothamist and WNYC.
But I’ve also spent hundreds of hours over the course of years investigating the rise of New York City’s unlicensed towing industry.
Earlier this year, we published the results of my investigation. I found that unlicensed tow trucks now nearly outnumber the licensed fleet, racing to beat each other to crashes, creating risks for consumers and pedestrians. At least 15 people have been killed in crashes and other incidents related to the towing industry since 2010.
I dug into internal police documents, lawsuits and years of city records to figure out exactly how regulators lost control of the notorious industry. This years-long reporting and data analysis allowed the public, for the first time, to understand the scope of the issue. I calculated that there are at least 700 unlicensed tow trucks on New York City streets. Previously, even top commissioners in city government could only guess the size of this ghost fleet.
After we published, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he’d look into the unlicensed industry.
This work was painstaking, challenging and complex, and I couldn’t have done it without the funding from readers like you, which allows us to do independent and in-depth journalism that is free for all New Yorkers.
Every visit I made to courthouses, apartments, and tow truck companies across the city was made possible in part by the support of Gothamist readers. Donations from members help ensure that we can bring you stories like these that affect change and have impact. And they will also ensure that I can continue to report on how the Mamdani administration responds, and chase down new leads and follow up on tips.
