Tow bill near $6,000 on car in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI (AP) — He thought his car was gone for good, then he got the bad news when it was found.

A Cincinnati man was billed nearly $6,000 for the towing and storage of his 13-year-old car, which had been stolen and abandoned.

Bertin Ondja’a is an urban planner who took his Volkswagen Jetta for exhaust repairs 10 months ago. The car was stolen from the shop over Thanksgiving break.

He heard no more until last month, after his car had been in storage for 271 days. It’s not clear why it took so long to locate him.

Darryll’s Towing has since offered to give the 32-year-old man his car back for $136. He doesn’t see why he should have to pay anything.

He says it’s not about the car anymore; it’s about a system that needs to be fixed.