The American Repossessor

MILWAUKEE – He may be a nice guy, but you don’t want Chase Niedermeier knocking at your door.

“I’m getting paid to legally steal cars,” said Niedermeier.

The 24-year old owns Alpha Recovery Systems out of Kenosha.

In short, he’s a Repo Man.

“Once its on my truck and off the property, there’s nothing they can do about it. It’s my property,” he said explaining how he hooks up a vehicle.

We tagged along recently both during the day and at night to find out what it’s like to pick up the wreckage of someone else’s financial missteps.

“I’ve encountered quite a few things that are interesting,” he said.

Interesting is an understatement, bizarre might be a better way to describe it.

“I have people come chasing after you down the road, maybe not wearing much of anything, they come out of the house,” he said.

That maybe humorous but sometimes taking a car can turn violent, he says.

“You can have people pull guns on you but you just tell them to think about it. Do you really want to go to jail, you want me to call the cops,” he said.

And this job is a lifestyle not so much a career. Sometimes he’s out from 9 am until 4 am, driving all over Southeast Wisconsin and Illinois, looking, hunting for his prey.

“It should be right here, and there it is,” he said as he located his latest repossession.

And Chase is finding a lot these days. In fact, he says business has increased 50% this year compared to last. The culprit? He blames a bad economy.

“It’s a crappy situation for them. They don’t like being in the situation and I’m not there to make them feel worse about it,” said Niedermeier.

It’s why he usually tells them first he’s about to take their car. And does not approach a home after 10 pm.

“I’m not confrontational. I just say I’m here to take your car and I even say if you give me the keys you can take your personal effects out,” he said.

And he’s heard it all from people pleading with him to let them keep their car.

“I owe a $1,000 on that van,” said a woman. “Can I pay you the money?

“No,” said Chase. “You have to give me the keys. It’s on my truck already. I can take it and leave.”

She finally gave up the keys, resigned to the fact she would have to pay a visit to the bank to buy back her car.

And that’s what usually happens. He says most people do cooperate.

And despite knocking on the door of someone else’s despair, Chase doesn’t feel guilty. Some have left and got out of the business, he says.

But for him, there’s nothing like it.

“Every time I repossess a car, I get an adrenaline rush. The day it stops, is the day I qui