CBS2 Exclusive: N.J. Family Can Now Get Belongings Back After Moving Nightmare
MILLINGTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey family struggling to sort out a moving nightmare got some good news Tuesday.
As CBS2's Hazel Sanchez exclusively reported Monday, all of the family's belongings were stuck inside a moving van at a tow yard in for a month after their movers got in an accident. CBS2 demanded answers and now got action for the family.
On Tuesday afternoon, Sanchez returned to Tina Fortino's new home in Millington, New Jersey with news. The owner of B&L Recovery and Towing, which Fortino said had refused to release the family's property stuck on a damaged moving truck in his warehouse unless they paid a hefty fee, has changed his mind.
"Wow that's just -- thank you, thank you," Fortino said, tearing up. "I feel like I've been living in limbo in this nightmare. And maybe it's going to stop."
Her family's moving nightmare started when the professional moving company, who presented itself as Five Star Vanlines from Union City, got into an accident while transporting their belongings from their home in North Carolina to New Jersey. B&L hauled the damaged truck and everything inside to its warehouse in Carteret.
B&L said Five Star Vanlines wouldn't pay the $10,000 fee for the tow, so it wouldn't release the truck or anything in it.
"I want to see what's OK and what's not OK. And I realize from the accident and it being in storage this long there's probably some damage. But there's also going to be stuff that's not damaged," Fortino said. "I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping that it's that sentimental, important stuff."
Tuesday afternoon, the owner of B&L called CBS2, saying he saw the report and wanted to allow the Fortinos to get all of their property, free of charge.
"I mean thank you to you, because without you I think we would still just be stuck," Fortino said to Sanchez.
"I'm just hoping that it's OK being in the warehouse with I don't know if there's rats or whatever. I'm just nervous now that everything is eaten, you know? So we'll see, but thank you so much," another family member said.
The Fortinos said they can now breathe a lot easier knowing their new home may soon be filled with the mementos and furniture they thought they lost. They plan to pick up their belongings from the tow yard later this week.
