Latest news with #Bahna
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
NJ Fire Chief Sued For Dumping Rocks On A 1995 Nismo 270R Previously Owned By Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya
While police misconduct gets plenty of negative attention, as the saying goes, not one's ever written a song called "Fu*k the Fire Department." One New Jersey man, however, might be the first, after the local fire chief allegedly damaged his Nissan over a dispute related to how water drained off his property. Typically, dumping rocks and dirt on an old Nissan wouldn't do much to the already rock-bottom value of what's almost assuredly an already-dinged and dented car, but that wasn't the case here. The car the fire chief vandalized is an incredibly rare 1995 Nismo 270R previously owned by Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya. Now, the owner is suing for $500,000, MyCentralJersey reports. The story saga began last May, when Piscataway Fire Chief Josh Scolnick decided the best way to resolve a dispute with the fire station's neighbor, Mark Bahna, was to damage his car. According to the lawsuit, Scolnick "threw buckets of rocks, dirt and debris onto the vehicle because he did not like how water allegedly drained from the property onto the fire station property." The rocks and other debris caused "extensive damage including scratches, dents, cracks, and chips to the paint, decals, lights, glass and other exterior features." So how did Bahna figure out who damaged the car? He checked his security camera and saw it had caught Scolnick in the act. While it's not the main point here, it's also worth noting that Scolnick was reportedly on duty at the time. When the cops showed up to question him, Scolnick admitted he'd vandalized the car. The Piscataway Police Department charged him with third-degree vandalism, although he later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct and had to pay $7,973 in restitution. Read more: Judge Takes Away Man's Dodge Charger Hellcat After He Acted Like A Hellcat Owner If the Nissan that Scolnick had damaged had been a regular 240SX, his actions still would have been both wrong and completely uncalled for. What was that supposed to accomplish other than making things worse between Bahna and the fire department? As Bahna, who is a manager for Montclair Auto Sales Group, argues in the lawsuit, however, the $7,973 he was paid doesn't exactly cover the money he lost in the process. It's a one-of-30 car, and this example was reportedly a numbers-matching example in close to showroom condition with the original paint and decals. Beyond that, it was also owned and raced by Japan's LeMans winner and Drift King, Keiichi Tsuchiya. That's some serious provenance for an already incredibly rare car, and according to the lawsuit, at the time Scolnick dumped rocks on the car, Bahna had a collector lined up to buy it for $500,000. After they found out about the damage, the buyer withdrew their offer. As CarScoops points out, we haven't seen 270Rs sell for anything close to that recently, but previous examples hadn't already been imported to the U.S. and titled, nor were they in original condition, and they hadn't been owned by anyone as legendary as Tsuchiya, either. Maybe $500,000 is more than it was actually worth at the time, but if he really had someone ready to pay that kind of money for such a rare car, then at least one person thought it was worth that much. Since Scolnick already admitted to vandalizing the car and has since pleaded guilty, whether he's responsible or not isn't really in question, here. Instead, it's whether or not Bahna can convince the judge he deserves to be compensated for the lost sale. Maybe the judge will agree he deserves the full $500,000; maybe not. Odds are, though, the hardest part won't be winning the lawsuit, even if Bahna ends up being awarded less than he's asking for. Instead, it's going to be getting hundreds of thousands of dollars out of a volunteer fire chief who likely doesn't have that kind of money lying around. Piscataway Fire District No. 3 and Piscataway Township are also named in the lawsuit, so they could end up having to pay, but ultimately, it's all up to the court and what the judge decides. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New Jersey JDM Collector Suing Fire Chief for Allegedly Dumping Rocks on His $500,000 Nissan
Update, April 1, 2025: Mark Bahna, the owner of the rare Nismo 270R, filed a civil suit against volunteer fire chief Josh Scolnick over damage to the Japanese domestic market sports car, according to local news outlet My Central Jersey. On November 20, 2024, Scolnick pled guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct in New Jersey Superior Court, and was told to pay a sum of $7973 as restitution, according to court the new lawsuit, Bahna alleges he had been in the process of selling the 270R to a buyer for $500,000, but that said buyer dropped out after the car was banged up; Bahna's suit claims the vehicle must now be professionally restored, but that the restoration means its value will be lower than it was before the damage. The lawsuit also claims Scolnick told police that he admitted to throwing debris such as rocks and dirt on the Nissan because he was displeased with how rain water was draining between Bahna's property and the fire fire chief of Piscataway's volunteer fire department allegedly vandalized JDM car collector Mark Bahna's 1994 Nissan Nismo 270R after a dispute over a leaking sump pump, according to CBS News. CCTV video shows the fire chief pouring multiple buckets of rocks, mud, and rain water onto the rare car. Only 30 units of the S14-based, factory-tuned coupe were made by Nismo. The 270R might look at first glance like a regular 240SX, but is one of the rarest JDM classics ever produced. Police told CBS News that the fire chief was charged with 3rd degree criminal mischief and released on a summons complaint. Bahna said the damage to the ultra-rare model consists of dents and paint scratches, but it's the principle that hurts more. Bahna says the 270R was parked on his property and he has hired an attorney, the appropriately named Mark Speed, in an effort to settle this clash. "We've reached out in writing to the parties involved. At this point we're waiting for a response," Speed told CBS News. Following the release of the S14 generation 240sx, Nissan wanted to show that it was in touch with the tuning culture that was quickly enveloping its performance lineup. To do so, Nissan tasked its Motorsports International division, Nismo, with pumping up the 240sx with visual and mechanical upgrades. With an increased compression SR20DET engine under the center vented hood, Nissan was able to bring the horsepower figure up to 270 with help from a hotter set of cams, an upgraded fuel pump and injectors, plus a reprogrammed ECU tune. To get all this power to the ground, Nissan fitted a heavy duty Nismo clutch and 2-way limited slip differential to 270R as well. These days we know the 240sx chassis as being a near-ideal drift car by default, but Nissan wanted the 270R to be a track capable machine, fitting it with upgraded shocks and springs, stronger control arms, and firmer suspension bushings. All 30 units of the 270R came in KH3 Black paint with Nismo body graphics to boot. Bahna claims that his 270R example (which he claims was once driven by drifting legend Keiichi Tschuiya) is one of two in the U.S., with documents of another unit being imported and refurbished by Kaiser Kars in Southern California back in 2022. A glance at Bahna's Instagram shows a true love for JDM vehicles, with his collection including a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV in Marlboro colors and a Nissan Skyline R34 GTR V Spec II Nur. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
