Compulsive hoarding, also known as hoarding disorder, is something that can affect not only the person suffering from it but the people around them too.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) defines hoarding as “the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value.” By now, we’re sure you’ve heard about (or even met) many types of hoarders but did you know there are also “car hoarders” in this world? Well, at least one man from Philadelphia is.
Reuben Waller owns a lot on Old York Road in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia. Nothing out of the ordinary so far – except he filled his property with more than 150 vehicles over the years. You might be tempted to think the man collected fine classics, but in reality, the so-called “collection” consisted entirely of junk cars. So, for all intends and purposes, it was nothing but a junkyard.
Google Street View shot of the entrance to Reuben Waller’s “collection”
According to Action News, the owner is a self-labelled hoarder who describes himself as collecting vehicles as a hobby and isn’t doing anything illegal. However, commissioner David Perri from the City of Philadelphia’s Licenses and Inspections (L&I) department begs to differ. He says the lot is a “nuisance property” and enforcement action against it started in 2016.
In December 2018, the car hoarder was handed a court order to remove the vehicles, with a judge deciding he owed $2,000 in fines, plus $200 for every day the vehicles remained on the property. Since he didn’t comply, the city and the police started removing the vehicles on March 8.
As you can imagine, there was a lot of work to be done and many tow trucks were needed. In fact, L&I employees and Philadelphia police officers returned at the lot earlier this week to continue their work and could actually still be doing it as you read this.