Queens body shop owner uses illegal tow truck scheme to flaunt wealthy 'f---ing life'

A Queens body shop owner promoted joining his tow-truck crew through Instagram, urging followers to seek more money, opportunity, and growth. The promotion included an unlicensed tow truck and a stunt in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, where a pickup with a stealth tow rig performed donuts and left burnout marks. Parks officials and a local councilmember said they were working with the NYPD to review the incident. The city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection confirmed it is investigating the business after customer complaints about unlicensed towing. A separate review found hundreds of unlicensed tow trucks operating on city streets, and crashes involving tow trucks have caused multiple deaths since 2010. The owner’s towing license had lapsed in 2016.

"“If you're tired of being broke, watching TV, watching us in these trucks, watching where we are, hit us up and we'll get you there,” David Borukhov told his 45,000 followers on Instagram as he hopped out of an unlicensed tow truck earlier this month."

"“We're looking for hungry people who want more than a paycheck. More money. More opportunity. More growth. More lifestyle,” he added in the caption."

"In the video, Borukhov does donuts behind the wheel of a pickup, which was equipped with a stealth tow rig, leaving burnout marks in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The parks department and a local councilmember said they were working with the NYPD to review the incident."

"Earlier this year, a Gothamist investigation found that there were at least 712 unlicensed tow trucks operating on city streets in 2025 - a number that nearly eclipsed the licensed fleet of towers in the five boroughs. Crashes involving both licensed and unlicensed tow trucks have left at least 15 people dead since 2010, according to a review of news coverage and official records."

Read at Gothamist