Brooklyn family devastated after city tows, crushes late mechanic's mini monster truck

A mini monster truck that was parked on a busy Brooklyn street and made people smile is gone after the city towed it away and had it crushed. 

The bright green truck was parked outside New Millennium Motors at the corner of Seventh Street and Third Avenue in Park Slope. It was a little different and looked like it didn't belong, but it belonged more than anything else.

It was the last project shop owner Andreas Stylianou was working on before he died.

"Mostly, like, a lot of creativity went into it. I think it was him being, like, playful," son-in-law Calum Sinclair said. "I think that resonated quite well with the environment here, you know. A lot of people would stop and take pictures of it."

Stylianou, a mechanic and craftsman, was the kind of man who saw more than just parts. He saw people.

"He was a larger than life personality who helped so many, so many people," one friend said.

In December 2019, Stylianou was struck by multiple vehicles and killed as he was crossing Third Avenue, just steps away from his auto shop.

The avenue was later named Andreas Stylianou Way in his honor.

"Such was the kind of impact he had, not just as a business, but as a human being," Sinclair said.

For years after his death, the truck remained parked outside, becoming a staple of the neighborhood. His family decorated it for the holidays and even used it as the logo for New Millennium Motors.

Then one morning earlier this month, it was gone. In the middle of the night before anyone could wake up, the city towed it to a salvage yard, where it was crushed before sunrise.

"It's definitely empty, hollow. Doesn't feel like New Millennium is complete without the car being here," Sinclair said.

The Department of Sanitation tells CBS News New York: "This truck was parked on the street with no VIN and no license plate, which is not allowed in any circumstance. We tagged the vehicle and it was removed six hours later, in accordance with the law, and taken to one of our vendors, NYC Auto Recycling. Without a plate or a VIN, there was no way for the city to contact the owner."

Now, the space outside the shop is just a space again because what was taken from it wasn't just a car.