PITTSBURGH — A family says they paid $20 to park in a lot before heading into Tuesday night’s Pittsburgh Penguins game only to return later to find that their vehicle had been towed.
TJ Bealko and his father said at first they thought they returned to the wrong lot and then became worried that their car was stolen. The pair soon learned that neither of those scenarios was true.%
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Baelko said he paid $20 to park in the lot near the CONSOL Energy Center and put the ticket right in the dashboard, where he was told to place it.
“We parked exactly where they wanted us to park and paid the bill,” Baelko said.
He said he’s parked in the lot before with no problems.
The owner of the company that towed the Baelkos’ car told Channel 11 News that their vehicle was towed because tow operators were told the ticket on the dashboard was expired.
The tow truck company owner called the company that manages the lot. He said he was told that the ticket stub placed on the vehicle’s dashboard wasn’t what they normally hand out and that it was placed face down.
The Bealkos showed Channel 11 News a photo that they took of their car at the impound lot, showing the ticket stub face up.
The tow company owner said they’ve had problems before with people collecting money for parking in lots where they aren’t supposed to be doing so.
The Baelkos wanted to warn others to be careful when parking in any lot around the city.
“Be careful in any lot you park in. I’ll park in the garage now, rather than park in a lot and give someone money,” Baelko said.
A spokesperson for the city said parking lot licenses are issued to approved parking lots, which also pay a parking tax to the city.
The spokesperson said the city is checking to see if the lot the Bealkos parked in had a permit.