Philadelphia carjacking victim forced to pay hundreds of dollars to get stolen car back

A Philadelphia mom was carjacked a month ago and her car ended up in a tow lot in Camden, New Jersey. Now it's costing her hundreds of dollars to get it back.

Part of the problem was nobody told her they found her car until weeks later.

Aniah Monroe said she had picked up a job as an Uber Eats driver to make some extra money. Last month, as she got out of her car in Northern Liberties to hand off the food, she said a man pushed her out of the way and drove off with her car.

"Just ran up when I got out the car and pushed me away from the car and just hopped in, closed the door, took it out of the park and drove off with my car," Monroe said.

At the time, she was on speakerphone with her grandmother, Dollie Monroe, who heard it all happen.

"She say, hold on a minute, Grandmom. She say, 'I'm gonna get out the car and take this order,' and when she got out the car, I heard a scream, and I was like, that don't sound good," Dollie Monroe said. "I was, like, 'Oh my God, she's in trouble.'"

Monroe says she filed a police report but never heard anything, so she's been using the bus to get around with her daughter at all hours because she's working the night shift at a new job.

About three weeks after the theft, she received a letter in the mail from Camden County police saying the car was located and in an impound lot. Then, she learned she'd have to pay to get it out, and each day tacked on another daily storage fee of $25.

"I should not have to pay for my car that was stolen from me," Monroe said. "Philadelphia police and New Jersey police knew that they found my car already and nobody even think to call and inform me?"

Philadelphia police said the car was located three hours after it was stolen. A police spokesperson said they didn't notify Monroe because they thought Camden County police would, which they did by sending a letter she says she received on Aug. 17.

"Why not call? We would have gone and got the car the same night," Dollie Monroe said.

A manager at Camden Towing said the tow cost $115, but with all the taxes, fees and daily storage rate, Monroe owed $840 as of Wednesday.

By Thursday evening, Monroe said she borrowed money and eventually picked up her car, and even though some of the fees were waived, she still paid $620 to get her stolen vehicle back.

She said her insurance didn't cover towing fees; however, sometimes if you have comprehensive coverage, your policy will reimburse you for towing fees as part of your theft claim. If you only have liability insurance, you're likely stuck with the fees.