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John McIntosh, 41, a homeless man, has been living in his junk-packed jalopy on Warren Street for more than a decade, trying to make ends meet. But he found a stable source of income. McIntosh drives his car to clear a parking space—for a fee, of course, according to the New York Post.
According to McIntosh, who is nicknamed the Parking Pirate, he is just trying to survive.
The homeless man says he makes up to $100 a day selling his parking space. He even accepts payment for his service through Venmo – of course, under the pseudonym “Parkingpirate”.
“I’ve been doing this for probably at least 13 years,” McIntosh admitted. The police know about it and some people are complaining. But I’m just a tiny, little bug in a big scheme.”
On the subject: Personal experience: I make $167 an hour babysitting billionaire kids
The self-proclaimed entrepreneur said that desperate drivers looking for a parking space walk up to his cluttered 2008 Toyota RAV4 (see amazing photos of it here) and ask, “Are you leaving?”
“For $1 I’ll tell you if I’m leaving,” McIntosh tells them. “But the seat costs $20.”
He notes that he used to charge $10, but “inflation now doesn’t even allow you to buy guacamole at Whole Foods for that money.”
McIntosh knows how to choose a parking space so that it can be sold at a profit. According to him, Battery Park City is very profitable in this regard, where there is high competition for parking.
McIntosh’s recent clients include a construction worker with Pennsylvania plates who woke him up at 5 a.m. and a local man who woke him up at 6 a.m. saying, “I need a seat in front of you and I’ll give you money if you drive back a bit.”
Mackintosh’s car is stuffed with household utensils, lamps, furniture, and he even has an American flag. He puts everything he finds on the street in the salon and puts on the roof, and then he sells these things.
“I love the idea of finding small opportunities,” he said.
A native of Scottsville (a city in upstate New York), he carefully keeps the secrets of his past, and does not like to talk about the present.
He claims to have moved to the city in 2007 and had an apartment on the Upper East Side for a while. He does not consider himself homeless.
“I just like to have my things with me everywhere,” he said. “I could live in a house, but I like being free and alone.”
McIntosh was doing his piracy in a parking lot on the south side of Battery Park City, but “nasty people” one day slashed his tires.
“It’s not the nicest thing to do if you live in the area,” Ephraim Jenkins, 54, said of a homeless man’s stuffed Toyota.
“This is unpleasant, wrong, eyesore and this must be stopped!” said one angry resident of the area.
The Macintosh, despite its critics, has big plans for the future.
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‘Parking pirate’: how a homeless man makes money on those who are looking for parking in New York
John McIntosh, 41, a homeless man, has been living in his junk-packed jalopy on Warren Street for more than a decade, trying to make ends meet. But he found a stable source of income. McIntosh drives his car to clear a parking space—for a fee, of course, according to the New York Post.
According to McIntosh, who is nicknamed the Parking Pirate, he is just trying to survive.
The homeless man says he makes up to $100 a day selling his parking space. He even accepts payment for his service through Venmo – of course, under the pseudonym “Parkingpirate”.
“I’ve been doing this for probably at least 13 years,” McIntosh admitted. The police know about it and some people are complaining. But I’m just a tiny, little bug in a big scheme.”
On the subject: Personal experience: I make $167 an hour babysitting billionaire kids
The self-proclaimed entrepreneur said that desperate drivers looking for a parking space walk up to his cluttered 2008 Toyota RAV4 (see amazing photos of it here) and ask, “Are you leaving?”
“For $1 I’ll tell you if I’m leaving,” McIntosh tells them. “But the seat costs $20.”
He notes that he used to charge $10, but “inflation now doesn’t even allow you to buy guacamole at Whole Foods for that money.”
McIntosh knows how to choose a parking space so that it can be sold at a profit. According to him, Battery Park City is very profitable in this regard, where there is high competition for parking.
McIntosh’s recent clients include a construction worker with Pennsylvania plates who woke him up at 5 a.m. and a local man who woke him up at 6 a.m. saying, “I need a seat in front of you and I’ll give you money if you drive back a bit.”
Mackintosh’s car is stuffed with household utensils, lamps, furniture, and he even has an American flag. He puts everything he finds on the street in the salon and puts on the roof, and then he sells these things.
“I love the idea of finding small opportunities,” he said.
A native of Scottsville (a city in upstate New York), he carefully keeps the secrets of his past, and does not like to talk about the present.
He claims to have moved to the city in 2007 and had an apartment on the Upper East Side for a while. He does not consider himself homeless.
“I just like to have my things with me everywhere,” he said. “I could live in a house, but I like being free and alone.”
McIntosh was doing his piracy in a parking lot on the south side of Battery Park City, but “nasty people” one day slashed his tires.
“It’s not the nicest thing to do if you live in the area,” Ephraim Jenkins, 54, said of a homeless man’s stuffed Toyota.
“This is unpleasant, wrong, eyesore and this must be stopped!” said one angry resident of the area.
The Macintosh, despite its critics, has big plans for the future.
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