Towing in Romeo, MI
Romeo is about 12 road miles from central Shelby Township, most of them on M-53. You get one price for the whole job on the phone before a truck starts north.
Mostly on M-53: the way our trucks reach Romeo
Romeo sits about 12 road miles from central Shelby Township, and most of that is M-53. We get on at 23 Mile (exit 20), ride north past the freeway's end at exit 25, stay on the bypass to 32 Mile and head west; inside the village, 32 Mile becomes St. Clair Street.
North of exit 25 the highway is an expressway that skirts Romeo's east side, passing between the village and Romeo State Airport; that stretch is named the POW/MIA Memorial Freeway. 30 Mile and 32 Mile meet it at intersections, and at 33 Mile and McKay Road, in Bruce Township, an interchange has ramps on the northbound side only.
Van Dyke is the other way up and the village's main road; downtown, it's Main Street. It carried M-53 through Romeo until the bypass was finished, and the old highway passed to local control in 2003. The village's public works department still lists Main Street and 32 Mile as roads it doesn't maintain, with the county as the one to call.
Pin down where you are
- Downtown - the Main Street block, or the nearest corner: St. Clair, Tillson or another cross street.
- On the bypass - north or south, and the crossing you're closest to: 30 Mile, 32 Mile, or the 33 Mile and McKay interchange.
- Van Dyke below the village - the last mile road you went through on the way up from Washington Township.
- Out in the orchards - the mile road and the closest crossroad, or a map pin from your phone where road signs are few.
Some days the village is far busier. The Michigan Peach Festival has filled Labor Day weekend since 1931 with three parades and a car show, and Tillson Street is known for its elaborate Halloween decorations. On a day like that, tell us which streets you can see are blocked.
Romeo is about 12 road miles from central Shelby Township and Utica about 3, so distance weighs more in a Romeo price than in a Utica one. The truck, the scene time and the drop-off count as well; what goes into the price of a Romeo tow lays it out, and you hear the total before we leave.
Emergency towing in Romeo: the bypass crossings, Main Street and St. Clair
The bypass is where a Romeo breakdown turns risky. Because 30 Mile and 32 Mile cross M-53 at grade, a car stopped near one of them has vehicles turning and crossing in front of it as well as traffic closing from behind. If the car still rolls, get it onto the shoulder clear of the intersection; never try to push it across.
Blocking a lane, or is anyone injured? Then 911 comes before any tow call. Off the road with nobody hurt? Flashers on, passengers out through the doors away from the highway, and everybody waits well behind the car rather than beside it.
Downtown is tight in a different way. Main Street is Van Dyke, the village's main road, so a stall there blocks the main route through Romeo; move the car to the curb only if that's safe. Inside the village, crashes go to Romeo's own police department, a full-time agency staffed 24 hours a day.
Once the scene is safe, emergency towing from the bypass or downtown Romeo takes the car wherever you send it: your driveway, a shop in the village, or one back down M-53 in Shelby Township.
Roadside assistance in Romeo: the 3 a.m. parking ban, the trail lot and cold mornings
The village's public works page puts it plainly: no overnight parking on village streets between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. A car that won't start at the curb late in the evening is on a clock, so call before the ban begins; a jump that gets it into a driveway or lot may be all it needs. If it can't be moved in time, check with the Romeo Police Department's non-emergency line.
The Macomb Orchard Trail, built on an old railroad right-of-way between Richmond and Dequindre Road, passes through the village, with access from 32 Mile (St. Clair Street) east of downtown and west of M-53. A car left there for a long ride can come back to a click instead of a start; our jump pack handles that, and we measure the battery and charging voltage before you leave.
Potholes on Main Street or 32 Mile go to the county; the village DPW looks after its other streets, alleys and village parking areas. Whichever road chewed up the tire, we mount your spare at the curb, or haul the car to a tire shop if the spare won't do.
Locked out in the Peach Festival crowds? We open cars with car-opening tools. Out of fuel on the bypass between crossings? Say gas or diesel and the crossing you're nearest. Both are roadside service at the curb in the village or wherever the car stopped.
Flatbed towing in Romeo: show cars, AWD and EVs, and the long runs north
Old cars have a long history here. An early automobile company operated in the village from 1904 to 1908, and the Michigan Peach Festival's Labor Day weekend still includes a car show. A classic or show car rides our flatbed out of Romeo, tied down at the wheels, going to the show or coming home from it.
Every all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive vehicle, every EV, anything lowered and every motorcycle gets the same treatment, even for the few blocks to a village shop. A car that came off the bypass with a bent wheel goes up the deck on the winch, since it can't be trusted to roll.
Romeo is also where longer trips begin. Past the nearby towns, every car rides the deck whatever its drivetrain: north on M-53 toward Imlay City, east into Armada Township, or back down M-53 to a dealer in Shelby Township.
Winch-outs around Romeo: plowed-in curbs, orchard lots and ditches along the bypass
Snow lands on two crews here. The village DPW plows village streets, while Main Street and 32 Mile belong to the county, whose plows work trunk lines and primary routes before local and residential streets. A car left at the curb overnight - against the 3 a.m. ban - can wake up walled in by the ridge a plow leaves behind.
The orchards around Romeo are why the Peach Festival started in 1931, and harvest season means parking at farm markets and in festival fields. If you parked on grass and it turned to mud, make one gentle try in reverse and stop; more spinning only digs the hole.
When a car slides off the bypass or a mile road into the ditch, get out only if it's safe, and stand well back from the road rather than between the car and traffic. Winch-out recovery from a Romeo ditch or orchard lot works from the pavement: our truck parks on firm ground, the cable runs to a recovery point, and the car comes up the bank the way it went in.
Light-duty is our limit: cars, pickups, vans, SUVs and motorcycles. A tractor, a box truck full of fruit or an RV needs a heavy-duty operator, and you'll hear that on the first call.
Car towed in Romeo? Village police inside the limits, and a sign at every lot entrance
Romeo, a village of 3,767 people at the 2020 Census, keeps a full-time police department staffed 24 hours a day, every day. If your car disappears from a village street, its non-emergency line is the first call.
Beyond the village line, it depends on the township. Most of Romeo lies in Bruce Township, with a piece reaching into Washington Township, which the Macomb County Sheriff patrols under contract. The Michigan State Police post for Macomb County is Metro North.
- Romeo Police Department, non-emergency
- (586) 752-3587 - staffed around the clock
- Romeo Village Hall
- 586-752-3565, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Village Department of Public Works
- 586-752-2684
- Main Street (Van Dyke) and 32 Mile, county roads
- 586-463-8671, the number the village lists
- Macomb County Sheriff (Washington Township substation)
- 586-781-3104
A car taken from a private lot falls under different rules. MCL 257.252k bars a property owner from having an unauthorized car towed unless a notice is posted at every vehicle entrance (a lot with no curbs or barriers needs one sign for every 100 feet along the road), in letters at least 2 inches high, saying unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense. It must give the towing service's name and phone number, hang with its bottom at least 4 feet off the ground and stay up for at least 24 hours before a tow.
Those sign rules have exceptions, set out in MCL 257.252l: property that's obviously part of a single- or two-family home, a driver who was told in person that the spot was off-limits, and a car removed under section 252d, which covers police-ordered removals. Read the sign to learn who has your car, then call that company.
No sign, or no answer? The Attorney General's guide to Michigan towing laws points to the Secretary of State's abandoned vehicle search, by VIN or plate, and explains your right to inspect the car, take out personal items and challenge the tow in district court within 20 days of the notice.
From Romeo back toward Shelby Township, and the official pages to bookmark
Below the village, Washington Township holds Romeo's southern piece and runs down to 26 Mile; keep going on M-53 or Van Dyke and you reach Shelby Township, base of our 24-hour towing in Shelby Township. Farther south are Macomb Township and Utica, about 6 and 3 road miles from central Shelby Township.
- Romeo on Wikipedia - Hoxie's Settlement, the 1839 renaming, the Peach Festival and the village's 2020 population.
- Historic Village of Romeo - the village's official site, with notices on water work, streets and meetings.
- Romeo Police Department - the non-emergency number and records requests for the village's police.
- M-53 on Wikipedia - how the freeway and the Romeo bypass were built, with the full junction list.
- MDOT Mi Drive - traffic cameras, incidents and closures on M-53 and the other state roads.
Frequently asked questions
Do you tow in Romeo, and how far are you from the village?
Yes. Shelby Township Towing reaches Romeo mostly by M-53; the village is about 12 road miles from central Shelby Township, our base. Before a truck heads north you hear one total for the job; the distance is part of it, along with the truck your car calls for, the time at the scene and the destination. Calls are answered at any hour, every day.
Can I leave my broken-down car on a street in Romeo overnight?
Not between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. The village's Department of Public Works says no overnight parking is allowed on village streets during those hours. If the car won't start, call Shelby Township Towing early in the evening so it can be jumped or moved. If it can't be moved in time, call the Romeo Police Department's non-emergency line, (586) 752-3587, and ask what they want you to do.
My car died on the M-53 bypass near Romeo - what do you need to know?
First, if the car is sitting in a travel lane or anyone is hurt, dial 911. Then tell Shelby Township Towing whether you were northbound or southbound and which crossing is nearest: 30 Mile, 32 Mile, or the 33 Mile and McKay Road interchange, which has northbound ramps only. Those details bring the truck up on your side of the expressway the first time.
My car is gone from a spot in Romeo - who do I call?
Inside the village, call the Romeo Police Department's non-emergency line, (586) 752-3587; it is staffed around the clock. If the car was taken from a private lot, Michigan law requires a sign at each entrance naming the towing service and its phone number. The Secretary of State's abandoned vehicle search can find the car by VIN or plate, and you have 20 days from the notice to act.
Can you take my classic car to or from the Peach Festival car show?
Yes. Classics ride the flatbed, strapped at the wheels, whether the trip is a few blocks or back to Shelby Township. The Michigan Peach Festival runs on Labor Day weekend with parades and a car show in Romeo, so book the move ahead of time and tell Shelby Township Towing the car, its condition and where it's going.
Calling about a Romeo tow? These are the four things we'll ask
Answer them and the call ends with a total and the right truck heading up M-53.
- Location - a Main Street block or corner, the bypass with your heading and nearest crossing, or the trail parking
- Vehicle - the model and year, flagged if it's a classic, all-wheel drive, electric, lowered or a motorcycle
- Trouble - dead at the curb, in a ditch, a crash, a flat, an empty tank or keys inside
- Destination - a village shop, your driveway, or a shop or dealer back in Shelby Township