N.Y. Vehicle & Traffic Law § 2129: Stolen, converted, recovered and unclaimed vehicles

§ 2129. Stolen, converted, recovered and unclaimed vehicles. (a)

Police or peace officer's report. A peace officer, when acting pursuant

to his special duties, or police officer who learns of the theft of a

vehicle not since recovered, or of the recovery of a vehicle whose theft

or conversion he knows or has reason to believe has been reported to the

commissioner, shall forthwith report the theft or recovery to the

commissioner. Such report shall be in addition to any other reports

required by law.

(b) Owner's or lienholder's report. An owner or a lienholder may

report the theft of a vehicle, or its conversion if a crime, to the

commissioner, but the commissioner may disregard the report of a

conversion unless a warrant has been issued for the arrest of a person

charged with the conversion. A person who has so reported the theft or

conversion of a vehicle shall, forthwith after learning of its recovery,

report the recovery to the commissioner.

(c) Garage operator's report. An operator of a place of business for

garaging, parking or storing vehicles for the public, in which a vehicle

remains unclaimed for a period of thirty days, shall, within five days

after the expiration of that period, report the vehicle as unclaimed to

the commissioner. A vehicle left by its owner whose name and address are

known to the operator or his employee is not considered unclaimed. A

person who fails to report a vehicle as unclaimed in accordance with

this subdivision forfeits all claims and liens for its garaging, parking

or storing.

(d) Commissioner's record. The commissioner shall maintain, and

appropriately index appropriate public records of stolen, converted,

recovered and unclaimed vehicles reported to him pursuant to this

section. The commissioner may make and distribute copies of any such

records so maintained to peace officers, when acting pursuant to their

special duties, or police officers upon request without fee and to

others for the fee, if any, the commissioner prescribes.

(e) Commissioner's action. The commissioner may suspend the

registration of a vehicle whose theft or conversion is reported to him

pursuant to this section; until the commissioner learns of its recovery

or that the report of its theft or conversion was erroneous, he shall

not issue a certificate of title for the vehicle.