Court Affirms State Police Taking Parsippany Towing Service Off Roster

This story has been updated to add comment from Ajaco Towing.

PARSIPPANY, NJ — An appeals court affirmed New Jersey State Police's decision to sever ties with a Parsippany towing company after the company president threatened and used a racial slur against a Black customer.

Parsippany-Troy Hills Police and the township also removed Ajaco Towing from a rotation list for towing services in August of 2021, after the customer filmed Vincent Cleffi threatening to "drop him on his (expletive) head" and calling him a racial slur.

That interaction took place in earshot of police officers, and was shared on social media.

In an appeal to state police, Ajaco claimed that Vincent Cleffi's remarks were constitutionally protected speech, and that his actions did not give State Police the right to remove the company from the towing rotation. The company, co-owned by his brother Jason, also challenged its removal from the towing list in appeals court.

On April 19, New Jersey Superior Court judges Patrick DeAlmeida and Avis Bishop-Thompson affirmed State Police's decision to stop working with Ajaco.

“We find no basis on which to disturb NJSP's final agency decision or the sanction imposed on Ajaco," the judges wrote.

Ajaco said in a statement that the company has reviewed and updated its policies, and given mandatory training to all employees on de-escalating situations and workplace ethics. The tow company also said that some officials caused "financial and emotional harm" to the business and its employees, by implying they were racist or hateful.

Case background

The NJSP works with a select list of towing operators to help clear vehicles from crash scenes or incidents on state highways, and court documents state that Ajaco had towed the customer's car from a crash on I-80 on Aug. 15, 2021.

The company contends that the customer, who is identified only by his initials in court documents, became argumentative over the cost of towing his vehicle and called police for assistance. The man told two responding officers that he believed Ajaco employees were discriminating against him based on his race.

In the video, Vincent Cleffi is seen in front of the entrance while the customer filmed from the parking lot. A police officer and two others stood in front of the employee as he says "I'll drop that motherf----r" and "go ahead, play the racial card."

State police temporarily suspended Ajaco from the 2021-22 towing rotation list after being made aware of the incident, then issued a notice on Dec. 9, 2021 permanently removing the company from its list.

In their original appeal to state police, Ajaco also claimed that Parsippany Police were "operating to escalate a potential bias incident" and that Cleffi was provoked. They also pointed out that he was never charged with a crime.

At the time, the company told Patch they had been receiving death threats and claimed that the township and former mayor Michael Soriano were discriminating against their white employees.

After state police issued their final decision, Ajaco filed another appeal claiming that the dismissal was arbitrary and inconsistent with policies, and that they failed to consider certain evidence the company provided in court.

The appeals court judges noted that state police have a "requirement that tow operators conduct themselves professionally" when they are working on behalf of the NJSP. They further wrote that Vincent Cleffi's actions, "even if provoked, harm the agency's standing with the public and warrant removal from the towing rotation list" and said the fact Cleffi was never charged with a crime did not impact their decision.

"(State Police's) decision is not based on criminal liability, but a violation of the high standards of conduct expected of a towing operator who interacts with the public as part of a working relationship with the NJSP," the judges wrote.

In a statement provided to Patch, Ajaco said that "it is never ever appropriate to use a racial slur in any context" and added that the video clip did not show what led to the exchange.

The statement said the responding officers "failed to de-escalate" the decision when they arrived, after the customer had been physically and verbally abusing the staff for hours.

Ajaco also said that police and the mayor having painted the company as racist was "extremely detrimental."

"It is apparent that both parties are at fault," the statement said.

"Here at Ajaco Towing & Recovery Inc, we are a professional company operating for over 30 years," the company continued. "We are by no means racist towards any race or religion. Our company's employees are made up of people from all nationalities, colors, and religions. We treat everyone fairly and continue to give back in many ways to the communities we serve and beyond."

Previous coverage:

• Parsippany Township, PD Split From Ajaco Towing After Incident (Aug. 2021)
• 'We're Not Racist': Inside An Embattled Parsippany Towing Company (Aug. 2021)
• Our White Workers Are Victims Of A Hate Crime, Parsippany Tow Company Claims (Sept. 2021)