NJ auto dealership accused of selling vehicles without titles: 'I need that money'

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia woman is out thousands of dollars and a vehicle after she says a New Jersey used car dealership took her for a ride.

Auto Emporium, in Hudson County, is accused of selling cars without a title. When the cars are repossessed by banks or ordered returned, the company is accused of not refunding down payments.

Erika Hester, of North Philadelphia, said she is out $8,000.

"I need that money to put a down payment on another vehicle. And it's, it's just, I don't think it's fair what they're doing," she said.

Hester said she purchased a 2016 BMW last year after finding it for sale online. "I was looking on the internet and I found the kind of car that I wanted for the price that I could afford."

She said Auto Emporium, of Jersey City, sold her the car but never produced its title.

"Couldn't get it registered. Couldn't drive it. It just sat in the driveway for months, for three months," she said.

Hester now filed a lawsuit. The loss has impacted her daily life. She has no car and needs the cash.

****"I work at night, so I had to take Uber every night to get to work. So going grocery shopping, going, you know, making air and stuff like that, I was using Uber to get around. And Uber adds up."

Hugh Webb, of Brooklyn, is in a similar bind.

"We were looking for our down payment back," said Webb.

"Which was how much?" asked Chad Pradelli.

"$2,000," he replied.

Webb said he and his girlfriend also bought a beamer from Auto Emporium earlier this year. He alleges the dealership didn't produce a title.

His car got towed by NYPD for unregistered plates.

Angry, he called Auto Emporium.

"So he told us to pay for it and get it towed back to Jersey City," said Webb. "We were like, 'No that's going to cost us money. We don't have that money.'"

Webb then threatened to sue.

"They were so nonchalant, like whatever, take us to court. You probably ain't going to see your money for a year or two," Webb said he was told. "So I was like, 'Wow it's like they've been through this before you know?'"

The Investigative Team took the two-hour trek to Jersey City to get answers.

"Who is running the show here?" asked Chad Pradelli when he went into the dealership.

An employee said the owner, Sourabh Gupta, was not in.

"He's been named in a number of lawsuits: selling cars, not providing titles. Banks are taking the vehicles back and he is not refunding the down payments," Pradelli said.

On a phone call, Gupta told the Investigative Team to contact his attorney but wouldn't provide a number nor explain why he allegedly wasn't returning down payments or titles.

"They never explained," said Hester. "They never explained."

"His excuse was the person that the wholesaler that he bought the cars from disappeared," said Webb. "He told us he bought three cars worth almost $90,000 or $60,000," he added.

Webb received a $5,000 judgment from a judge in October when Gupta didn't show up for court.

Hester is still waiting for her day before a judge.

"I just didn't think it was fair. And I think that if they've done that to me, that they've done it to other people, and I think that Auto Emporium should be ashamed," she added.

We also uncovered a third person suing Auto Emporium for similar conduct. That case is still unresolved.

The New Jersey Office of Attorney General told us its Consumer Affairs Division has a half dozen complaints on Auto Emporium but couldn't comment if there is an active investigation.