Car Vandalism in Harrison, NJ (Newark: day care, houses, school)

[djsazon]

[SIZE=2]I have been parking my car in the lot and on the street (metered spots) on NJ Railroad Ave for the last 6 months or so. From time to time I have noticed broken glass on that street.

Well, this week I got back to my car about 7:15 pm to find my front passenger window totally smashed out and some stuff stolen from my car.

The Police Officer who wrote up the report said there have been a lot of these incidents lately. He said they have even struck inside the pay lots.

The next day I parked in metered spot very close to the Little Man Parking entrance, where there is supposedly someone there all day. Figured this would be an area where more people are and thus less chance for a break in.

Wouldn't ya know it when I got back to my car the car in front of me had his window smashed. Then on the way back to 280 I noticed ANOTHER smashed window on 2nd street.

This is getting pretty bad.

Anyone else notice this?
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[davenj08]

car vandalism almost on a daily basis...wow!

[seque5tra]

You are taking a risk if you choose Harrison, NJ as your park & PATH.

The parking attendants DO NOT stay there all day. They arrive around 5 am or 6 am, and leave for the day around 11 am or noon.

Honestly, this is how I used to park for free 5-7 days a week in those lots when I used to work the 4pm to midnight shift in Manhattan. I would pull into a lot around 2pm, park, NOT PAY (I didn't even bother doing the whole 'fill out the slip and stick the money in the envelope and drop it into the parking booth slot' thing), and ride into Manhattan. I know I risked getting ticketed or towed, but I never did the entire TWO YEARS that I did this. This shows you how closely these lots are monitored (yes, yes, the meter maids are always around and will ticket you if your meter is even 1 minute overdue, but they only care about giving out parking tickets for the meters for the township of Harrison...they have nothing to do with the privately owned lots). And let me tell you, when I had to walk from the PATH station back to my car at 1:30, 2 in the morning, I saw plenty of shady things in that alley NJ Railroad Ave. One time I saw some guy just passed out (I'm assuming he was passed out and not dead, but I can't be sure) in that alley. There used to be a little bar at the end of it (closed now) which made the riff raff in that area worse. Not to mention, all the drunk people coming from bars/clubs regularly use NJ Railroad Ave as a urinal. I've had to walk past many people peeing in that alley (including women).

Someone told me that car thieves in Newark consider the Harrison PATH station parking lots to be a gold mine of a free-for-all. Sometimes they jack cars for profit. Sometimes they'll just take it for a joyride and abandon it. (This happened to my friend's car in broad daylight, in the middle of the day.)

I've never personally experienced vandalism to my car, but that's because it's old, dirty (e.g. deliberately not taken to a car wash in years, literally) dented, and there's nothing of value inside--no GPS, no EZ-Pass, no iPod holder, not even a CD player (just an old am/fm radio + tape deck). Plus, I would DELIBERATELY have garbage and all kinds of 'what the hell is that?!' type of crap all over the back and passenger seat.

Well, enjoy the cheap Harrison parking while it lasts. One of the parking attendants told me that when the new parking garages go up, ALL the parking prices---even for the sketchy lot all the way at the back by the river---are gonna go way up like JSQ and Newark prices.

There is this small mom & pop parking lot that most people don't know about. It's right next to Lot B off of NJ Railroad Ave, right next to those row houses by the gas station & car wash by the front of that lot. The lady that lives in the house right there owns that small parcel of land (can't really call it a parking lot). She charged the old-school price of $4 a day as late as June of 2008 (not sure now...I'm done with the PATH trains and take a bus into Port Authority...don't have the patience for the overcrowded trains...and it's too expensive with the parking).

[leftydog]

Some more info from someone who has parked here for 4 yrs. 1) NJ RR avenue lots belong to daycare parking. There are lots A,B,C and I think, D. The lot attendent comes in at 5:30 and is gone by 11 AM. On top of that, they seldom salt the lot in the icy winter, its a first come, first server lot, and the attendent has all the charm of an ice road trucker who has flat tire. For 2 yrs I parked there, and every month when I went to the both to get a new sticker he always asked me "what do you want?" Finally I told him I was looking to sleep with his daughter and did he know what time she would be in. What an idiot. The lot is filled with rocks, glass, metal shards, nails, etc plus in the warm weather the locals use it for whatever purposes...I have gotten at least 3 flat tires there, and multiple scratches on my car. People take two spots routinely when they park, and if you come around 10am, you are pretty much hosed. There is a local repair mechanic there, Costa, and he says its not unusual to hear glass crack and cars to be ripped off or vandalized.
Now, if you have a good car, and can afford $175 mo, than park IN little man parking, not on the street. The attendent is there ALL DAY until at least 9pm, there is a gate, and I have not had any problems. Much higher class of people since most cars are audis, bmw, mercedes, etc and these people are careful when they open the door. Use common sense. do not park next to fords, and gm's, or old cars. Park near the attendent.
This lot is cared for and is in better shape than daycare. It costs more, but you get peace of mind. also, it would not be a bad idea to get the club and use it (I know its not foolproof, but in this lot, if anyone wanted to rip a car off, they would choose one without it).

That small mom and pop lot, is across from the car wash, the same dirt bags that walk through day care pass close by and there is only room for 4-6 cars, and its been booked for quite some time.

No matter what, do not park on the street. Remember, Harrison is next to Newark and there is no fortress to keep out dirt bags from one area to another.
Also, Harrison is a "diverse" community. You can interpret that any way you want.