Breen Bros Towing NYC towing restitution fund

Who may be eligible

New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection settled with Breen Bros Towing and set up a restitution fund for drivers. If Breen Bros Towing towed your vehicle between June 1, 2025 and June 1, 2026 and charged you more than the city's capped rates — $125 for most initial tows and $25 a day for the first three days of storage — or damaged your vehicle while towing or storing it, you may be eligible for money back. You claim by sending the agency a short form with proof of what you paid, and the agency decides each claim and the amount. Claims close on December 31, 2026 or when the fund runs out, and filing with the city is free.

The eligibility period on the official materials is June 1, 2025 – June 1, 2026. The notice states no state limit, so it is usually nationwide. Covered: Breen Bros Towing towing and storage.

Only the official administrator or agency decides who is eligible. Read the official notice before filing, and file only if you believe you meet its criteria.

Model and year are a starting point, not a decision. Coverage usually turns on the individual vehicle. Check yours on the official claim page, which is where any VIN lookup lives.

How much it may pay

Based on your documented losses. Every figure here is an estimate from public materials, not a guarantee: many settlements pay pro rata or only after a claims review, so final amounts commonly land well below the advertised maximum.

DCWP reviews each claim itself and decides both eligibility and the amount, so no figure is fixed in advance and any estimate here is only that. The form asks for proof of what you paid the company — an invoice, receipt, card or bank statement, or an ATM withdrawal receipt from the day of the tow — and, if a vehicle was damaged, an itemized repair statement. DCWP says it cannot pay for insurance, incidental costs or pain and suffering.

What the deadline is

The claim deadline is December 31, 2026.

What proof is needed

Receipts or payment records may be required.

The official claim form states exactly what it accepts; gather it before you start.

How to file for free

Open the official claim page on this page, run by New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, read the criteria, and file there if you believe you meet them. Filing is free: official claims never carry a fee, and this site never files on anyone's behalf.

Never give a Social Security number, bank login or card number to a site that is not the official administrator or agency page.

Why this case happened

New York City caps what a tow company may charge. Companies in the Directed Accident Response Program and Rotation Tow Program may charge at most $125 for an initial tow of a vehicle registered at 10,000 pounds or less, $140 above that weight, $25 a day for the first three days of storage and $27 a day afterwards; a company towing from a private lot may charge at most $125 for the tow and three days of storage, $15 a day after that, and a $62.50 drop fee for unhooking a car about to be towed. DCWP settled with Breen Bros Towing over charges above those caps and over damage done during towing or storage, and set up a fund to pay drivers back.