That's not a towing. That's theft with extra steps.
A Bay Area resident recently came forward describing exactly this experience with a company called City Towing. The car was taken overnight from their apartment complex, dumped in an unsecured parking lot, and held for ransom — because let's call the "towing fee" what it actually is when no one authorized the tow and no police department has any record of it.
The resident paid up in the moment, figuring they'd sort it out later. Their apartment management confirmed they never requested the tow and that only a department manager can authorize one. City Towing, naturally, declined a refund.
As one SF resident bluntly put it: "They effectively stole your car. Report it as such."
And here's where it gets worse. City Towing is apparently no stranger to this kind of thing. The company's operators have reportedly faced serious fraud and arson charges — and yet appear to still be in the business of snatching cars off private property in the middle of the night. Another local noted, "Didn't those shitheads try to tow a car with people still inside a while back?"
So where exactly is the regulatory oversight here? California has laws governing towing companies — authorization requirements, signage rules, storage protocols, fee caps. When a company ignores all of them, operates what amounts to a vehicular shakedown racket, and faces zero apparent consequences, that's a government accountability failure.
Multiple residents are recommending the victim file in small claims court and contact the city attorney's office, which may already have this company on its radar. That's solid advice. But it shouldn't take an AirTag and a Facebook group for residents to protect themselves from a company that seemingly treats other people's cars like ATMs.
If you've had a similar experience, file a complaint with the city attorney and the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. Document everything. And maybe invest in an AirTag — apparently it's now a basic necessity of Bay Area car ownership.
