Man Divides Opinion After Towing Car in His $50-a-Month Parking Space

Finding parking can be tricky, but there's nothing more frustrating than getting home from work only to discover someone else in your spot. This is what happened to an Oregon man, Tyjai Huddleston, who returned after an eight-hour shift and had nowhere to put his car.

Huddleston, 20, shared a clip to TikTok, claiming he had no choice but to call the tow truck company to remove the rogue vehicle.

His video, which has been watched more than 13 million times, was captioned: "I did not want to be a Karen. But we pay $50 a month for our space. Sorry buddy, gotta take this."

The on-screen text in the video, posted on July 13, explained further: "They parked in our space so we decided to call the tow company for the first time. We had to park like this until they came, two-and-a-half hours later. I wish the owner came outside to see their reaction. Bye bye."

Huddleston added, "Thank you" as the final shot showed his car finally parked in its rightful spot.

The decision to call the tow truck has proved so divisive among TikTok viewers, however, that he has since shared three more clips to defend himself.

In one, he said: "So I live here in Oregon, where parking is horrible. I mean, horrible. And the complex that I live in has very limited visitor spots.

"So, I can understand somebody parking in somebody else's space for a short time, y'know. But that's not the case here. I get off an eight-hour shift, I'm ready to go home, relax, chill. I get to my complex and, what do you know, somebody else is in my spot.

"So, y'know I'm not really mad, I'm not really frustrated, I'm chill about it, I'm cool about it. My only issue is, where the hell am I going to park? I've seen people get towed, a lot. So, why would I risk my car being towed, for somebody that's parked in the space that I pay for? It doesn't make sense."

In the follow-up videos, he also responds to TikTok comments suggesting that he should have "left a note" or "knocked and tried to find the person."

"There is way more than 13 buildings on this property. I'm not going door-to-door trying to find somebody. That's a waste of time, that's so stupid," he said.

He went on: "So, two-and-a-half hours later, the tow truck finally arrives. The owner still hasn't come outside. So, I showed them proof I pay for this parking space. I waited another 30 minutes, waiting for the owner to come and see his car got towed. He never came."

Ultimately, he said the rogue parker should have learnt their lesson, adding: "They shouldn't have parked in my space. It's their fault, now they know the consequences of parking in somebody's s***. I pay for my s***, sorry."

In another clip, he filmed the warning signs dotted around the complex, claiming the driver should have been well aware they would get towed.

He said: "For everybody that was wanting to see it, there's one sign. They're literally all over this property."

The sign reads: "Resident parking only. Unauthorized or improperly parked vehicles will be impounded at owners risk and expense."

Huddleston posted another video on July 23 defending his decision, saying: "I pay $50 a month for that spot, that's $600 a year. The reason I pay for that spot is because there's limited visitor spots and everyone has their own spot."

On the original clip, commenters weighed in on both sides of the argument. Higher_State08 wrote: "Should have given them a warning first. Everyone makes mistakes."

But Lakefamilymom pointed out: "If it took the tow company 2.5 hours and they still hadn't moved they deserve it. They didn't just park there real quick."

Newsweek has reached out to Huddleston for comment.