A 23-year-old Brooklyn mechanic parks next to the same massive pothole every night and makes up to $2,200 changing tires for stranded drivers.
The single 12-inch-deep hole brings him roughly 80 customers a year.
Javier Yat, owner of Jas Mobile Tire, arrives at Exit 9A on the Belt Parkway at 12:30am and stays until 10am. He changes 15 to 20 tires each night, charging between $150 and $300 per tire.
The pothole at Exit 9A is deep enough to cause severe tire damage and immobilize vehicles completely.
The Night Shift Operation
Yat works out of his van and typically runs out of replacement tires each night. "I have to pay a runner to go back and forth to the shop for me and pick up what I need," Yat said.
The 15 to 20 drivers he helps each night are stranded on the side of the parkway, desperately searching "tire guy near me" on their phones.
Yat and his older brother Emilio, 25, grew up in Guatemala and learned their trade from their father before building the business in the U.S.
From Mobile Service to Infrastructure Gold Mine
The business started as a mobile operation about two years ago before they opened a brick-and-mortar shop eight months back.
Their regular shop runs from 7am to midnight, then Javier hops in his van to handle late-night roadside calls.
"I enjoy helping people," he said. "I just try to keep the best price I can for everybody."
City Response
Officials from the New York City Department of Transportation insist that staffing is not an issue.
Margaret Forgione stated that the agency is adequately equipped to address such conditions.
Yat has turned what is essentially a public infrastructure failure into a steady source of income, earning up to $2,200 per night from drivers who hit the same hole the city says it can fix.