What started as one man hearing a commotion on a Chicago, Illinois, street quickly turned into a real-life Mad Max scene, complete with flipping cars, screaming spectators, and tow trucks ramming each other in broad daylight.
In the clip, a bystander runs around a corner after hearing a loud crash. The first thing he sees is a vehicle tumbling over in the aftermath of a collision. But before the shock can settle, the chaos escalates: on the opposite side of the road, multiple tow trucks are locked in a high-speed demolition derby right down a busy township thoroughfare.
“They’re tweaking!” the man yells, his disbelief palpable, as the tow trucks slam into each other with reckless force, inches from other drivers and pedestrians.
According to locals in the Reddit thread, this wasn’t a random road rage incident but business. Or, more accurately, towing turf warfare.
“This 100% looks like my city and they are a menace,” wrote user VentiBlkBiDepresso, who later confirmed the incident was filmed at 81st and Stony Island in Chicago following the Bud Billiken Parade. “They battle each other to get to a wreck first… and then overcharge you.”
Another commenter summed it up bluntly: “Tow truck companies battling over turf.”
If that sounds absurd, several users pointed out it’s not without precedent. One likened it to America’s old, competing firefighting brigades that used to literally brawl in front of burning buildings over who got the contract. Others called it “Repo Wars” or “Tow to Tow,” with more than one person joking that A&E should already be drafting a reality show.
But behind the meme-worthy mayhem lies real danger. These trucks were speeding and smashing into each other on public streets, with bystanders just feet away. As Reddit user socialcommentary2000 put it: “I can’t tell who is being repo’d and who is doing the repoing. All I do know is someone’s catching charges from this.”
Given that locals claim this happens frequently, the footage is more than just an internet spectacle. It’s a glaring glimpse into an under-policed industry where competition can turn violent in the scramble for business.
As for the man filming? In true Chicago fashion, he kept the camera rolling with hilarious commentary, and, at least for one day, became the accidental narrator of a city’s strangest turf war.
