Abandoned cars creating safety concern for west Houston auto body shop

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A business owner is fed up as smashed, stripped, and abandoned cars have created a safety concern in his west Houston neighborhood. He turned to ABC13 after multiple city agencies have been unable to help.

The cars he's talking about have been abandoned for months. They're jamming up the road and leaking fluids into drains. He said he wants them gone but doesn't know how to get rid of them.

"This car has been here for like a year," Little Shop of Motors owner Edward Morales said.

Driving around the block, he pointed out car after car he says has been clogging the streets for a long time.

"You see cars like that parked on the sidewalk," Morales said.

He has owned his auto body shop on Alberene Drive for the better part of two decades and said the problem has only gotten worse.

On Tuesday, ABC13 explored the Westwood neighborhood and watched as a dozen cars were parked and left on a neighboring busy road.

"There is a lot of illegal activity in regards to stripping cars, stolen cars. There was one around the corner the other day. It was just the shell of a car. I hadn't seen that in a long time," Morales said.

The vehicles are smashed, leaking fluids, and many of them are lacking plates. Morales said he wants them gone, but he's not sure where to turn after not getting any help from the city.

ABC13 called the Houston Police Department but was told this was not a case of illegal dumping and doesn't fall under their department.

Park Houston said the cars aren't parked illegally, so it's not their jurisdiction.

Eyewitness News reached out to Houston Auto Dealers and the community's councilman, Edward Pollard, and are waiting to hear back.

"It's a crime issue, and it's an EPA issue and an EPA issue for the environment. The things they are doing now can't be good, and the water treatment plant is not that far away from here," Morales said.

Morales said crime breeds crime. As more cars are dumped and abandoned, the intersection becomes overcrowded, leading to hit-and-runs. He also said customers have expressed concern with leaving their own cars behind.

"I lose a lot of clients cause when they drive into the neighborhood, they see the cars, and they don't want to leave their cars," Morales said.

Morales feels this spectacle would be shut down in other parts of the city and wants to see the same enforcement here.

ABC13 did see a couple of tickets on cars for things like blocking fire hydrants, but with no license plates on the cars, it is hard to imagine the owner will be forced to be held responsible for the safety concern.

For more news updates, follow Lileana Pearson on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.