Warrington cuts ties with tow truck company over insurance fraud claim

A relatively minor car accident in Warrington three months ago has resulted in the revocation of a local tow truck operator’s status as one of the township’s four duty-tow companies — those police call when vehicles need to be removed from accident scenes.
The February accident has also led to fraud complaints against Glenn’s Towing LLC, of Warminster, with both Bucks County Detectives and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office.
For reasons unrelated to the Warrington matter, Warminster also recently cut ties with the tow company, though other towns — including Doylestown Township and Hatboro Borough — are still using it.
“This is a serious issue. This firm has done business in the township for awhile now,” Warrington Supervisor Fred Gaines said on April 11, just prior to voting with his colleagues to end the township’s relationship with Glenn’s Towing.
In the wake of the crash, a detective employed by Travelers Insurance Company contacted Warrington police with questions about a bill Glenn’s Towing had sent a Travelers client for $1,865.
It was Lt. Glen Gottenberg who took the call. Coincidentally, he was also the ranking officer at the scene of the crash. Gottenberg reportedly recognized the truck driver’s account didn’t match his.
“They billed the insurance company for two trucks when only one showed,” township manager Barry Luber told the supervisors. “They billed them for oil dry when none was needed. They billed for multiple cleanups when none was needed. They billed for winching when none was needed.”
Luber admitted it wasn’t the first strike against Glenn’s Towing. Rather, it was at least the fourth.
In March 2018, a written warning was issued to Glenn’s Towing for charging excessive fees. In May of the same year, the township suspended Glenn’s for 30 days for the same issue.
In November of 2018, Glenn’s failed to respond to a crash within 15 minutes. It took 43, which resulted in a verbal warning.

Luber characterized the township’s response as “progressive discipline” and suggested that’s a practice that Warrington often uses, depending on the severity of the infractions. But it’s a practice it can depart from when the situation calls for it.
Reached Wednesday, Vlad Ungvari, of Glenn’s Towing, said that, while founding owner Glenn Natter is still involved in the business, Ungvari is gradually taking over for him.
Ungvari did not dispute the facts of the case and acknowledged that Gottenberg’s account of what happened at the accident scene was the accurate one.
He also noted that the 2018 infractions happened on his watch as well and stressed that he has cooperated with Warrington police on the matter.
Ungvari suggested that his “mistake” in February stemmed from financial pressure that came with losing duty tow status — unfairly, he said — in Warminster at the start of this year.
Warminster Township Manager Tom Scott could not be reached for comment.
Ungvari said his focus now is moving forward and trying to keep the duty-tow contracts he still has with Doylestown Township, Warwick and Hatboro. He’s meeting with borough officials Thursday.
“My whole life is riding on this,” Ungvari said.
Luber said tow truck companies are vetted when they want to be duty-tow operators. Those evaluations include examinations of trucks and equipment, a look at the company’s complaint history and confirmation that they operate a fenced-in yard in their municipality for securing towed vehicles.
Supervisor Vanessa Maurer suggested that vetting process could use a fresh look.

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