AITA for towing my neighbor’s car for blocking my driveway (even though the cop said I should’ve just driven over my grass)?

Jonathan Hours
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Imagine rolling home at midnight, arms full of grocery bags, only to find a stranger’s car squatting in your driveway like it’s paying the rent. A corner-house renter, shelling out extra for that sweet driveway and garage, stares in disbelief as a neighbor’s bold move blocks her path. She waits, hopes for courtesy, but by morning—still there! With a car repair guy en route, she calls the cops, and the tow truck rolls in. But here’s the twist: the officer shrugs, “Just drive over your grass.” Say what?

The air crackles with frustration—her lawn’s no highway, and this isn’t her first neighbor rodeo. Past kid drama lingers, and now this parking saga has tongues wagging. Was towing too harsh, or a fair stand for her space? Reddit’s buzzing, and we’re diving into this driveway duel—buckle up!

‘AITA for towing my neighbor’s car for blocking my driveway (even though the cop said I should’ve just driven over my grass)?’

Here’s the juicy scoop, straight from Reddit’s front lines. A renter battles a car hogging her driveway, a cop’s wild suggestion, and neighbor shade—check out the full tale:

So here’s the tea. I live in a neighborhood where parking is mostly in the front of your own home but there is a copious amount of space around the block. It's not impossible or a super far walk. I pay more rent than most around my home (Somewhere around $100-$250 dollars extra) specifically because I have a driveway and a garage.

It's very visible and my driveway has grass along it but is still noticable as a driveway as i've lived here for 2 years and use it semi regularly. The other day, I left my house late (around 10:30 pm or so) to grab something from the store and visit a friend. I came back around 12 am and boom—my driveway is BLOCKED.

Not like they slightly nudged into it. I mean parked right in front of it, like they own the place. It was street sweeping so the street parkers moved their cars to our side street. (I live on a corner.) I checked my security cams (I have multiple, because I’m not new to neighbor nonsense), and saw what happened but I could barely make out that it was a woman, but not who exactly it was.

This woman, who I now know lives on the next corner across the street, used my driveway to turn around (so she knew it is a driveway...) and then decided to just park there. Bold. There were multiple spots available on the street at the time as well. Anyway, I waited. I gave her time. I hoped she’d come move it. She parked at 10:30pm. I tried to be a good neighbor and parked elsewhwere.

At 8:00 AM, I had someone coming to help me fix my car (you know, IN MY DRIVEWAY), and her car was still there. So I called the cops at 8:30, who called a tow company and had it taken. No warning. Just poof. Consequences. Why would I be neighborly when they weren't even courteous to me.. Here’s where it gets fun:. The cop who came gave me flack for it.

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He was like,. “Well, you could’ve driven partially through your yard, up on the curb to get in.”. Sir. Sir. No. I’m not damaging my grass or squeezing past someone else's car and damaging both just because you don’t want to wait for a tow.. Then he said he didn’t want to tow it because there was a car seat inside.. Cool? Should’ve parked legally then. The baby can’t drive..

Then, and this is where I almost popped off, he said, “Don’t be surprised if they retaliate.”. Oh? Retaliate against me for…using my own driveway? I told him, “That’s why y’all are here.” And then I found out who the neighbor was. Found out they are from Jamaica, and was inclined to give them a pass if the rules were different there, but surprise, it’s ALSO illegal to block driveways in Jamaca.

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So like... you already know better, girl. Oh, and some light backstory I realized once I found out who it was: our daughters used to be friends, but after a kid drama moment, this woman told her daughter not to play with mine anymore. Okay, fine. My daughter and I moved on. But now this? Now she’s parking in front of my driveway like she pays rent for it.

Anyway, she hasn’t said anything to me, but she did come out as it was being towed and probably paid a cute little bill. Should have moved your car if you were awake then. I feel 0 guilt. Some neighbors said I was mean for doing that. So now I'm wondering…

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Tldr: AITA for towing the car instead of knocking on her door (again, despite not knowing initially who it was, and knowing this wasn’t an accident and she had other parking options)? Or was I just enforcing boundaries that other people conveniently ignore? Also, how do I handle her and other neighbors who may be upset with me because of it?

The OP’s dropped an update on the saga—curious? Click here to check it out!

Parking disputes can turn neighborhoods into battle zones, and this renter’s standoff is a classic. After finding her pricey driveway blocked overnight, she waited patiently, then towed when a repair appointment loomed. The neighbor, fully aware it was a driveway after turning around in it, parked there anyway—cheeky! The cop’s “drive over your grass” fix? A head-scratcher that risks lawn damage and car scrapes, dodging the real issue: illegal parking.

Urban planner Jeff Speck notes in a 2022 CityLab article, “Clear driveways are a right—blocking them disrupts access and safety” (Source). Laws agree: blocking driveways is illegal in most U.S. spots and, fun fact, Jamaica too. Stats show 25% of urban disputes tie to parking, per the American Planning Association (Source).

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The neighbor’s move reeks of entitlement, especially with open street spots nearby. The cop’s retaliation warning? Oddly off-base—your property, your rules. Towing was a firm boundary, not a tantrum. Moving forward, stay calm: a polite note or chat if she parks again, citing local law. If neighbors grumble, nod, smile, and stand firm.

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

Reddit’s posse rolled up with fiery takes—sassy, sharp, and ready to rumble. Here’s the crowd roasting this driveway drama with a side of cop shade:

StacyB125 − NTA. Blocking driveways is illegal. It’s not your job to track down a car owner. You had an appointment for car repairs and needed to access your own home. Even without that appointment, you still are legally entitled to access your own property without causing property damage to your home or vehicle to accommodate the person who was wrong in the situation.

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Sebscreen − NTA. Watch out for that cop. He sounds exceedingly biased and shady.

StayOne6979 − Nta and ignore whatever that cop was saying. So weird, thats like calling in an order for pizza and the person answering the phone being like: “Wow really? A pizza order? You know you can just buy all the ingredients to make it? No brick oven? Ever heard of digorno?”

LindonLilBlueBalls − NTA. Sure you could have driven on your grass, but she could have also NOT PARKED IN FRONT OF YOUR DRIVEWAY! I hope you got the cops name and badge number. I would contact his supervisor and let them know he trued not to tow the car and made vague threats about retaliation.

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supertwicken − NTA. You were nice enough to wait until morning even; I would've called at midnight because I do not fcking tolerate entitled AHs like your driveway-blocking neighbor.

blny99 − I have a tiny space between my driveway and my next door neighbor. Only a very small car could park in that spot. Often larger cars park there blocking my or my neighbors driveways. There are lots of spots, people just dont give a f- Often it’s just a few inches blocked but recently some lady blocked half my driveway. I was too nice.

It was a visitor across the street and knocked. She came and moved the car. She is a frequent visitor and often blocks my driveway. I told her “this is the last time. block my driveway even one inch and the car wont be here when you come out”. She parks across the street now. I made sure from my tone of voice she understood I was serious.

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ConvivialKat − NTA. Is that cop dating this woman or something? I have never, ever had a cop argue with me about following a legal course of action.. If she parks there again, call the cops again.

ReleaseAggravating19 − F**k them and f**k that cop. That’s your driveway and they can’t block it. NTA.

3xlduck − NTA. To block a driveway is totally rude, a tow is not unexpected.. To turn around in a driveway in totally normal. You got to let that one go and calm down.

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7625607 − NTA. Everyone knows not to block driveways. This is on her.

These spicy opinions light up the chat, but do they hit the mark? Was towing a power move or a fair play?

What a midnight mess— a driveway hijacked, a cop’s lawn-driving curveball, and a neighbor’s bold parking stunt towed away! Our renter held her ground, paying extra for that sacred space, only to face shade from neighbors and a quirky cop. Reddit’s cheering her on, but the jury’s out. Was towing the car a boss move for boundaries, or should she have hunted the owner at dawn? How would you tackle a car hogging your driveway, and what’s your play with miffed neighbors? Spill your wisdom, stories, and hot takes—let’s rev up this chat!

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OP has a new update for this post:

[Update/answering some of the questions.] 1. I am the same race as the person who's car was towed, just not the same ethnicity. She is Jamaican, I am a black American. I mentioned it because perhaps the laws there are different and I was going to give her a pass. They aren't.

2. For those asking why I didn't go door to door and find out who's car it was that night... It was after midnight. My camera's view cut off at a certain point, so I could not see who it was that night but saw her near her car that morning when it was being towed and realized who it was.

3. I don't owe anyone anything, and there was alternate parking on the street where my driveway is, and there were 2 spots available, including the one I was forced to park at. 4. My driveway leads to stairs and to my back door. (Corner house) My kids don't always want to walk up the stairs, so sometimes I park in the front of my house. Which is why I park in my driveway semi-regularly. In the winter I always park in my garage.

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5. For the few criticizing me for the status of my driveway, I'll remind you I rent my house. I don't own it, so any clean up of the grass, so I would be nice to my landlord, but nothing I'm in a rush to do. 6. I've lived in my house for 2 years, she has lived in her apartment for even longer than that with her husband. She very well knew that was my driveway.

7. For those of you upset because I called her rude for turning around in my driveway, need to understand that the street has the width of a 5 lane highway. There wasn't a need to use my driveway at all especially since I pay renters insurance and am liable for anything that happens in the driveway. I mostly called her rude because she used it to turn around and then proceeded to park in front of it.

8. I am not a super friendly neighbor. On my street, we keep to ourselves. That is the appeal of where we live. Some neighbors will gather on porches if they have preexisting relationships, but it's mainly parents going to work and minding their business. Hence why after 2 years here, I barely know who's car is whom's. Everyone minds their own here.

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[Last edit and update] I don't think it's rude to turn around in someone's driveway, I do think it's rude to notice a driveway and then to park in front of it. Geez, you guys tore me up! The woman got her car back later that night, and it was parked in front of her house, in front of her husband's truck.

Some of you said I need to be more cordial with my neighbors as a safety resource, especially with having kids, and you are absolutely right, apart from the neighbors that tsk tsked me, I have given 'nods' to 2 neighbors who have returned them..

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