Many people across the city still haven’t dug out their cars, and now don’t even know where to begin doing so. That’s where these shovels for hire come in handy. NBC New York’s Checkey Beckford reports.
Days after a powerful winter storm blanketed New York City, much of the Bronx remains locked in snow — and a new cottage industry is booming.
Cars remain buried along streets like Morris Avenue, where plows have repeatedly pushed snow onto already-cleared vehicles. Rochelle Smith said by Wednesday night, she had to dig her car out for the second time.
“This was out. All of this was out,” Smith said. “Started Monday and they snowed me back in.”
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Around the corner, another line of snowed-in vehicles caught the attention of Keith Roberts, who decided to turn his frustration into a side hustle.
“I’ve had to dig out my car many times. After a while you get good at it,” Roberts said.
After retrieving a few shovels from his storage unit, Roberts began offering snow removal services to neighbors in need.
“Went into my storage, grabbed a few shovels, put them in the back of my car, said hey, we’ll see what happens,” he said.
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What happened was a flurry of work. Since Sunday, Roberts said he’s cleared 15 cars after finishing his shifts as a truck driver. He typically charges around $90 per vehicle, depending on how deeply it’s buried.
“For a car that’s locked in like this, it’s probably gonna be about $90 bucks,” he said.
One customer told NBC New York her car had been sitting untouched for three days. Is it worth it to pay someone to dig it out?
“Yes. Absolutely, every penny,” she said.
After several years of mild winters, the storm has turned into an unexpected windfall for for-hire snow removers.
“It’s just been the phone ringing non-stop,” said Murray, who runs a moving company out of Manhattan.
He said business is usually slow during the winter, but this year, he and his team have pivoted to snow removal. But clearing cars from blocks of ice isn’t easy — especially as freezing temperatures persist across the Bronx.
“What we’re dealing with in these freezing temperatures, the snow has actually formed into one block of ice,” Murray said.
And as the digging gets harder, the prices go up.
“Anyone who calls me today is probably gonna have to pay a higher price,” Roberts said with a laugh. “Yesterday’s price is not today’s price.”
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication.

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