Around 1 a.m. this morning, police in

Hoboken

ticketed and towed five Parking Utility vehicles that were illegally parked in handicapped spots

in Garage B on 2nd Street, according to police and city officials.

Police were alerted by a woman who was attempting to park in one of the spaces taken up by a municipal vehicle in the garage late last night. The officer attempted to notify the city parking directors to have the vehicles moved, but no one could be reached, police officials said.

Transportation Director

Ian Sacs

said he was never contacted by police last night.

Around 1 a.m., Mile Square Towing was called to remove the vehicles.

All five, including four pick-up trucks and one scooter used to distribute parking tickets, were clearly marked as municipal vehicles, said Sacs.

"This was a good example of how the laws apply to everyone, including the municipal government," he said, later adding, "It is not clear why they chose to park their vehicles in those spaces."

The city has space reserved for utility vehicles in Garage B, said Sacs, but other municipal vehicles had taken their spaces in the shuffle of the recent move to the city's

on Willow Avenue.

The five employees assigned to the vehicles at the time of the incident will be held responsible for paying the fines: $250 for each illegally parked vehicle. As the tickets were issued to the Parking Utility, it is not yet clear who will be making the mandatory court appearance required by state law for handicapped parking violations.