any lawyers in NJ?

[motor602]

so friday im out crusing to the mall, cop eyes my car, catches up with me 4 miles later, pulls me over. Cop says car is unregistered with the DMV and is going to impound the car. Reach for my registration and cant find the new copy...S.O.L. Cop tows the car and impounds it for the weekend. Normally I have heard of the officer giving a $50 ticket and sending you on your way. Is this within his authority to impound my vehicle? Tomorrow morning the DMV opens and I am going to renew my registration but first verify that the car was indeed registered. I can guarentee you that I wont stop till someone answers for this mistake IF the car was registered. But as of now what can I do when the court date arrives?

Car was bought in 2001 and continually registered, evidently registration expired and was not renewed late 2005 early 2006. so since then it's been "unregistered."

I also CAN'T stress enough how rude and short the officer was with me, it was pretty clear that his only intention was to ruin my day.

So again, anyone know what my options are as of this point come court time? anyway i can beat the tickets ( failure to produce, unregistered vehicle, and one for no front plate.)

 

[slaughterj]

Your post sounds contradictory. First you say you were going to confirm if it was registered, then you say that it has been unregistered since late 2005 early 2006. If it was unregistered, they *probably* are able to do what they did, though obviously don't have to. Since you have it registered now, and can put on a front plate (take a photo to court), in many places, that is enough to get the charges dismissed, but obviously you may need to consult with a local attorney. As for the officer, if you don't like his actions, file a complaint.

 

[plumcrazy]

i know for fact in NJ an unregistered car "CAN" be towed.

its a newer law

 

[Bobpantax]

An article that I just found online:

"Registering Your Car During A Traffic Stop
Talk about real-time computing. A New Jersey man who was pulled over by police for not having his registration up-to-date did some quick thinking to keep his car from getting towed. He told the officer that he just hadn't gotten around to renewing the registration form, and was told that that's no excuse - especially since it's so easy to register online. The officer then returned to his patrol car to write a ticket and call for a tow truck - since it's illegal to have an unregistered car on the road. The driver found the registration form, which was in his car, called a friend on his mobile phone and had the friend register for him online while the cop was writing the ticket. When the ticket was written, the guy told the surprised officer that the car was now registered, which was quickly confirmed. The ticket was still issued, but the tow truck was canceled. Of course, if the guy had a smart phone he probably could have done the whole thing himself - but it still is impressive. Sometimes, always being connected can be useful."

 

[Bobpantax]

How to Register in New Jersey - Original registration:

To register your vehicle, visit your local MVC Agency and provide the following:

The vehicle title.
Proof of insurance.
Proof of your Social Security number or exemption.
The vehicle's odometer reading.
Your current driver license number.
Complete an application for registration.
Pay the required registration fee.

Renewal of existing registration:
Once your four years are up (or one year, for used cars), you will need to renew your registration annually. Fortunately, the MVC gives you several easy ways to do this and will send you a registration renewal form.

The easiest way to renew, if you have a major credit card, is online. You'll be asked for your Social Security number and proof of insurance. You may also renew over the phone by calling (877) DMV-NJ4U. Or you can just send a check in the envelope provided with your renewal notice.

Of course, you can always renew in person at an MVC Agency. Bring along your renewal notice or proof of your vehicle's registration.

 

[Flash Gordon]

so friday im out crusing to the mall, cop eyes my car, catches up with me 4 miles later, pulls me over. Cop says car is unregistered with the DMV and is going to impound the car. Reach for my registration and cant find the new copy...S.O.L. Cop tows the car and impounds it for the weekend. Normally I have heard of the officer giving a $50 ticket and sending you on your way. Is this within his authority to impound my vehicle? Tomorrow morning the DMV opens and I am going to renew my registration but first verify that the car was indeed registered. I can guarentee you that I wont stop till someone answers for this mistake IF the car was registered. But as of now what can I do when the court date arrives?

Car was bought in 2001 and continually registered, evidently registration expired and was not renewed late 2005 early 2006. so since then it's been "unregistered."



I also CAN'T stress enough how rude and short the officer was with me, it was pretty clear that his only intention was to ruin my day.

So again, anyone know what my options are as of this point come court time? anyway i can beat the tickets ( failure to produce, unregistered vehicle, and one for no front plate.)

Here's the straight scoop as it pertains to NJ (emphasis NJ) Traffic Law, Title 39:

"Any police officer is authorized to remove any unregistered vehicle from the public highway to a storage space or garage, and the expense involved in such removal and storing of the vehicle shall be borne by the owner of the vehicle..."

Working from your description of the tickets issued, you received summonses 39:3-29 ($180.00 ), 39:3-4 ($54.00)and 39:3-32 ($54.00)respectively. FYI, none of these involve points as they are document/equipment violations. You would incur additional court costs if you chose to dispute the violations and lost the case in court. OTOH, if you plead not guilty and elected to meet with the prosecutor, you most likely could get some portion of the violations merged.

You're on the right path in going to the DMV to obtain registration status (in writing). Later, you'll want to present this to the prosecutor, if in fact an error was made. Your recollection seems a bit contradictory, but the fact that you also did not have a valid registration card (physically in the vehicle), leads me to believe that this may not be the case.

In any event, it sounds like the lack of a front license plate -or- a random plate inquiry did you in. Did he have to tow you? NO. He could have allowed you to park it. Did he have to issue you multiple summonses. NO. Unfortunately, the officer can choose to issue or not at his discretion. One caveat - Department's SOP's do differ, so it's possible that they require the officer to tow all unregistered vehicles.

If you'd like, PM your cell number and I'll give you a call. I can provide you with some further insight...Hope the above helps.

 

[DodgeViper01]

Sorry to hear about that Mahesh. Good luck with the situation and keep us updated. Did they at least good the proper tow truck?

 

[AviP]

i know for fact in NJ an unregistered car "CAN" be towed.

Unfortunately, BTDT in my ****** cruiser. I normally renew as soon as the letter arrives but it never did because a computer error caused my plates to show up as "returned".

The damn bastages towed the PT Cruiser and left me, the wife and 2 kids (4 and 1-yr old) standing by the roadside at 11pm in January (cold). The traffic stop was initiated by a 55-in-40 speeding violation. Factor in expired registration + towing + court fees and I was lighter by $600. Thankfully, my insurance was up-to-date or that would have been another $250. Aaaarrrrgghhhhh!!! Stinkin' NJ.

 

[Viperholic]

Holy crap

You shoulda filed a complaint with the cop for endangering your kids. What a scumbag.