[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township
of Vernon 6-2-1975 by Ord. No.
75-11. Amendments noted where applicable.]
No person shall leave any vehicle standing on a public highway
or street for the purpose of sale or repair, except in case of emergency.
A.
Whenever any member of the Vernon Police Department finds a vehicle
upon a public highway in the Township of Vernon, and such vehicle
is parked without current registration plates, or identification markers
as provided by the laws of the State of New Jersey; or such vehicle
is so disabled as to constitute an obstruction of traffic and the
driver or owner or person in charge of such vehicle neglects or refuses
to move the same to a place where the vehicle shall not obstruct traffic;
or such member has reasonable grounds to believe that such vehicle
has been abandoned (continuous parking of a vehicle on a public highway
for a period of 48 hours shall be deemed sufficient evidence of abandonment);
such member may remove or cause the removal of such vehicle to such
place as may be designated by the Chief of Police as a place for the
impounding of such vehicles, and such vehicles shall be there impounded
until the person owning said vehicle pays the cost of such taking
and removal together with a charge of $1 for each and every day the
vehicle is impounded. There shall be no charge for impounding and
storing Township vehicles.[1]
B.
Immediately after a vehicle is so removed, the Chief of Police or such member acting for him shall notify its registered owner in writing, by personal service or by registered mail at the last known address of said owner, of the removal of such vehicle, the reason for same, the location of the vehicle, and of the provision of Subsection C herein.
C.
After the vehicle has been in the possession of the Police Department
for six months and the owner is unknown or cannot be found or fails
to remove such vehicle, the Township may proceed to sell such vehicle
in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey.
In any prosecution charging a violation of any regulation governing
the parking of a vehicle under this chapter, proof that the vehicle
described in the complaint was parked in violation of one or more
of the provision of this chapter, together with the proof that the
defendant named in the complaint was, at the time of such parking,
the registered owner of such vehicle, shall create a rebuttable presumption
that the registered owner was the person who so parked such vehicle.
A.
VEHICLE
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
Any device by which any person or property may be transported
upon a highway except a device which is operated upon rails or tracks.
B.
Where a highway is referred to or classified as a "street," it is
the intention to include such highway be the same known by a name
other than a street.
Any provision or any section of this chapter which alters or
in any way nullifies the provisions of the laws of the State of New
Jersey upon the same subject shall be construed so as to comply with
the provisions of the state laws on the subject.
