Owner of lot leased to troubled Brooklyn repair shop calls on New York state for help
NEW YORK -- A recent CBS News New York investigation showed customers struggling for months to recoup their cars from a Brooklyn repair shop.
Now, a landlord who leased a lot to the shop is calling on the state to step up, saying regulators should have done more to prevent the situation.
Owner laments having no control of her lot
The owner of a lot at East 86th and Foster says she can't get eight cars off her land. She says State to State Automotive started renting the lot for storage in 2023, but she's been trying to evict the company since because she says it stopped paying rent in September.
"I'm horrified because I know that these are peoples' property," the lot owner said. "It's very stressful. It's very stressful having to know that you have a piece of property that you can't do anything about. I feel better that CBS has done this exposé."
She asked CBS News New York Investigates not to share her name out of fear of retaliation. She learned from our story how customers say they're treated by people at the shop.
"Nine months later, I don't have my car. They won't release my car, even though they received full payment," customer Sara-Lee Ramsawak said.
Another business is connected to State to State Automotive
Our investigation found there used to be a business at this garage at Atlantic and Nostrand avenues called A9's Automotive -- and it had a history of violations.
It took in a Brooklyn man's damaged car in 2023 even though the state says A9's didn't have a proper repair shop license at the time. The shop's Instagram page had already been directing people at that time to "follow our new business page" called State to State Automotive.
And two months after A9's took in that car, the state approved a repair shop license for a new LLC under that name -- and the name on the sign later changed. too.
"They're not investigating properly peoples' credentials, and that, unfortunately, is affecting the innocent people. And it's a trickle-down effect. I'm not getting paid rent. People have their cars held hostage," the lot owner said.
The Department of Motor Vehicles regulates repair shops, but it says it can't do an interview with us because of an ongoing investigation into State to State.
CBS News New York Investigates reached out to State to State again Tuesday and a man who said he's an employee apologized for the situation and any harm it's caused.
We already helped that Brooklyn man get his car back and the employee said Ramsawak will get hers Friday.
The employee said the shop will reach out to the lot owner to "work out whatever we have to work out with them."
He also said those cars at the lot are all damaged cars that were uninsured.
