Jose Rodriguez, is a Staten Island tow truck driver that became involved in a high-profile case in 2019, after he was arrested by the NYPD while attempting to legally repossess a detective’s personal vehicle. No murder was involved, but there was most definitely sordid behavior and mayhem on full display here.

A bank issued a request for the repossession of the detective’s vehicle after 3 missed payments. On May 30, Rodriguez located the vehicle outside of a police precinct and attempted to tow it. Police officers swarmed Rodriguez. He was surrounded and then placed under arrest. A surveillance camera in his truck captured a photo of one of the arresting officers inside his vehicle, tampering with that same camera. All the cameras in the vehicle were confiscated and later returned with their data wiped.

Rodriguez was in jail for 20 hours, accused of possessing stolen property. The police actually had the unmitigated gall to list the vehicle as stolen property, which is a felony. That charge was eventually dropped and replaced by misdemeanors, including falsifying business records and possessing police scanners. Those are accusations he denies. The orange boot that police placed on his tow truck, remained for 14 days. The truck sat on Richmond Terrace, across the street from the police station the entire time. All remaining criminal charges were dismissed in late 2019 by the Staten Island District Attorney.

Rodriguez filed a notice of claim and a federal lawsuit against the NYPD and specific officers, alleging abuse of power and wrongful arrest. His company, Finest Towing and Auto Body, continues to operate. Rodriguez has since met with the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau regarding the conduct of the officers involved. I can’t find any information related to the findings of the internal affairs investigation of this incident. Is an accusation of police misconduct and or corruption a legitimate issue in this case? Share your thoughts in the comments.

“He told me why do I keep coming here to repossess police officers’ cars,” said Rodriguez. “We were arguing for 20 minutes.”

Rodriguez claims that weeks after he was arrested, the same officer who blocked him from the repossession in May approached him again outside the stationhouse. Rodriguez was on the job, behind the wheel of the same truck that police returned to him.

Police did not respond to a request for comment on the second alleged encounter. I was unable to find any updates on this incident.