NYC opens Breen Bros and Daniyyel towing restitution claims

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes.

Key facts

Program: Two separate New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection restitution funds.
Companies: Breen Bros Towing Inc., primarily operating on Staten Island, and Brooklyn-based Daniyyel Towing Inc.
Available funds: $46,500 for Breen Bros consumers and $20,000 for Daniyyel consumers, a combined $66,500.
Potentially eligible harm: Qualifying overcharges or vehicle damage during towing or storage, reviewed individually by the city.
Breen Bros tow dates: Between June 1, 2025 and June 1, 2026.
Daniyyel tow dates: After January 1, 2025.
Breen Bros deadline: December 31, 2026, or until its fund runs out.
Daniyyel deadline: August 1, 2027, or until its fund runs out.
Individual amount: No standard payment is promised. The city determines eligibility and restitution.

What New York City announced

New York City announced on October 2, 2026 that consumers potentially harmed by two towing companies can apply to separate restitution funds totaling $66,500. Restitution means money intended to compensate for covered harm, rather than a penalty paid simply to punish a violation.

The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, or DCWP, secured $46,500 for consumers connected with Breen Bros Towing Inc. and $20,000 for consumers connected with Daniyyel Towing Inc. The department operates the application process and decides individual claims.

The funds follow two city enforcement matters, not a single class action lawsuit or a shared national settlement. A person must use the form for the company involved in their tow and meet that program's conditions. The combined $66,500 is not available to every applicant, and there is no advertised fixed award per person.

The city's dedicated pages add an important condition beyond the dates in the announcement. Applications are due by the specified deadline or until the relevant fund runs out. The published deadline therefore does not guarantee that money will remain available throughout the entire period.

Separate funds and separate rules

Breen Bros' deadline is December 31, 2026; Daniyyel's is August 1, 2027. Each program may end sooner if its fund runs out.

The companies and the agency

Breen Bros Towing Inc. is the towing business associated with the Staten Island matter. Daniyyel Towing Inc. is the Brooklyn-based towing business associated with the other matter. Consumers encounter these businesses when a vehicle is towed and, potentially, stored until it is collected.

The city identifies the companies separately and provides a distinct claim form for each. The reviewed documents do not establish a parent-subsidiary relationship or a shared operator between them. Their appearance in one announcement does not make them one business.

DCWP is New York City's consumer and worker protection agency. In this matter it investigated business practices, finalized enforcement actions and established consumer-restitution processes. It also licenses businesses performing certain non-consensual tows, meaning tows the vehicle's owner did not arrange or voluntarily authorize.

The city describes examples including driveway-blocking vehicles, vehicles on private property, and vehicles immobilized after an accident. Towing by police or other government authorities has separate information channels. Not every tow in the city is part of either restitution program.

Class Action Pulse is not DCWP and does not receive these claims. The city forms also tell applicants that DCWP and its employees are not their personal attorneys.

The investigations and settlements

DCWP says it began investigating Breen Bros in September 2025 and finalized an enforcement action in May 2026. Its October announcement states that the company admitted guilt to 250 counts of recordkeeping violations and that the settlement secured $46,500 in consumer restitution.

Recordkeeping refers to maintaining records that document the tow, storage and charges. Accurate records matter because they show what service was performed and what a consumer paid. The announcement discusses missing, unofficial or blank receipts as problems that can obscure overcharges. That general description should not be treated as proof that every applicant's tow involved a false receipt.

The agency says its Daniyyel investigation began in June 2025 after numerous complaints. It identifies 385 counts involving recordkeeping violations and consumer overcharges, and says consumers also reported being forced to pay cash. DCWP finalized that enforcement action in August 2026, with $20,000 in consumer restitution.

The official announcement's admission language applies specifically to Breen Bros' recordkeeping counts. It does not state an equivalent admission by Daniyyel. Nor does Breen Bros' admission prove every alleged overcharge or every asserted vehicle-damage claim. Individual applications still require review.

Do not extend an admission beyond the record

DCWP reports Breen Bros admitted recordkeeping violations. That does not establish every customer's loss, and the reviewed city announcement does not report the same admission by Daniyyel.

Who may qualify

The Breen Bros program page says an applicant may qualify if the company towed their vehicle between June 1, 2025 and June 1, 2026 and overcharged them or damaged their vehicle during towing or storage.

The Daniyyel program page says an applicant may qualify if the company towed their vehicle after January 1, 2025 and overcharged them or damaged their vehicle during towing or storage. That page does not state a closing tow-date boundary. Do not assume Breen Bros' end date applies to Daniyyel.

A tow by a different company, a tow outside the applicable date condition, or general dissatisfaction without covered harm does not establish eligibility under these descriptions. DCWP says it will determine eligibility and any amount of restitution and may contact applicants for additional information.

The forms impose further affirmations about prior refunds, other compensation and insurance payments. These are important limitations on recovery, not optional background language.

How the towing caps work

The program pages explain city rate caps, maximum charges for specified towing categories. They do not state that one price applies to every possible towing arrangement.

For businesses participating in the city's Directed Accident Response Program, or DARP, and Rotation Tow Program, or ROTOW, the claim materials list maximum initial-tow charges of $125 for vehicles registered at 10,000 pounds or less and $140 for vehicles registered above that weight. They list storage caps of $25 per day for the first three days and $27 per day from the fourth day onward.

For vehicles towed from private parking lots, the materials list a maximum of $125 for the initial tow and three days of storage, then $15 per day from the fourth day onward. They also list a $62.50 drop fee for unhooking a car that is about to be towed.

These distinctions explain why the type of tow, registered vehicle weight, retrieval date and itemized charges matter to an overcharge claim. A storage rate from one category should not be applied automatically to another.

The reviewed announcement and forms identify violations and applicable caps but do not supply the full underlying enforcement agreements, every charged legal provision or a complete ruling on a particular customer's transaction. This article reports the city's program terms rather than deciding whether an individual bill violated a rule.

Documents and limits on recovery

Both city forms ask for the applicant's contact information, the location from which the vehicle was towed, the tow date, the date the vehicle was claimed, the amount paid for towing or storage, and any covered repair costs. They also ask for a description of vehicle damage if relevant.

Supporting proof can include an invoice, receipt, credit-card or bank statement, or an ATM-withdrawal receipt from the tow date. An ATM receipt is listed as one possible supporting document; it is not a guarantee that a withdrawal alone establishes an overcharge. For damage-related claims, the forms ask for proof of repair payment, such as an itemized auto-shop statement.

Applicants must affirm that the information is true to the best of their knowledge, that they have not received compensation or a refund related to the claim, including through DCWP mediation, and that insurance has not made related payments. The forms say DCWP alone determines restitution and cannot compensate for insurance, incidental costs or pain and suffering.

The city says any payment will be mailed with return receipt requested to the address provided. That is a mailing method documenting delivery, not a promise that every applicant receives a check. DCWP also states that it cannot advise whether restitution is taxable income.

Evidence helps the city review the claim

The forms ask for payment records and, where relevant, repair documentation. Prior refunds, compensation and insurance payments must be addressed in the signed affirmations.

How to submit the correct form

Download the official PDF through the dedicated page for Breen Bros or Daniyyel. These are separate applications, so check the company name before filling in the form. The PDF includes the factual questions, supporting-document checklist and signed affirmation.

The forms direct applicants to email the completed claim and supporting materials to ConsumerRestitution@dcwp.nyc.gov, or mail them to NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, 42 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004. The attention line should identify either "Breen Bros Towing Inc. Settlement" or "Daniyyel Towing Inc. Settlement," matching the form.

For help, the city lists (212) 436-0306 and the same restitution email address. Submit through those official channels, not through a news publisher or an unrelated settlement administrator.

Breen Bros applications are due December 31, 2026 or until its fund runs out. Daniyyel applications are due August 1, 2027 or until its fund runs out. The retrieved pages do not specify a deadline time, a postmark safe harbor or a guaranteed review turnaround. Ask DCWP about receipt requirements if timing is close; do not infer that mailing on the final day is sufficient.

Timeline and what happens next

After January 1, 2025: The Daniyyel program's stated tow-date condition begins.
June 1, 2025 through June 1, 2026: The Breen Bros program's stated qualifying tow period.
June 2025: DCWP begins investigating Daniyyel.
September 2025: DCWP begins investigating Breen Bros.
May 2026: The agency finalizes its Breen Bros enforcement action.
August 2026: The agency finalizes its Daniyyel enforcement action.
October 2, 2026: DCWP announces both restitution funds.
December 31, 2026: Breen Bros' stated application deadline, unless the fund runs out first.
August 1, 2027: Daniyyel's stated application deadline, unless the fund runs out first.

DCWP will review submitted claims, determine whether more information is needed and decide any restitution amount. The reviewed city materials do not announce a future class-certification hearing, a common distribution date or a uniform division of the funds.

Evidence boundaries

The city's October announcement, dedicated program pages and official forms support this report. They establish the published fund amounts, date conditions, filing channels and limitations. They do not establish that a particular applicant qualifies, what share of either fund remains or what payment an individual will receive.

The full enforcement agreements and complete respondent positions were not available in the reviewed official materials. Consequently this report does not invent court case numbers, additional admissions, total penalty figures or legal provisions not specified there. Readers can use Class Action Pulse's case directory for other matters, but these city programs require their own official forms.

Frequently asked questions

Are these two programs a class action settlement?

They are separate city enforcement restitution programs. The reviewed city materials do not identify them as a single private class action.

Who may qualify for Breen Bros restitution?

People whose vehicles Breen Bros towed between June 1, 2025 and June 1, 2026 and who were overcharged or suffered covered towing or storage damage may qualify, subject to DCWP review.

Who may qualify for Daniyyel restitution?

People whose vehicles Daniyyel towed after January 1, 2025 and who were overcharged or suffered covered towing or storage damage may qualify, subject to DCWP review.

How much will each person receive?

No fixed amount is announced. DCWP determines individual eligibility and restitution under the program's limits.

Can the funds close before the published deadlines?

Yes. Each official program page says applications are due by its stated date or until the fund runs out.

Where do I send the claim?

Use the correct city form and submit it to ConsumerRestitution@dcwp.nyc.gov or the DCWP mailing address printed on that form.