Lights, Camera, Action! Perth Amboy Lands a Major Movie Role

PERTH AMBOY, NJ — The “City by the Bay” has a huge supporting role in a major motion picture with many of its streets and buildings used as backdrops for outdoor and indoor scenes.

Production company, Pink Toes LLC, filmed in Perth Amboy for a few days in May, shooting scenes for “Tow,” a big-screen picture to be released later this year or in early 2025.

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The movie will star Academy Award winners Rose Byrne, Ariana DeBose, and Octavia Spencer; Grammy winner Demi Lovato; and 21-year-old actor Dominic Sessa, a South Jersey native and 2024 Oscar nominee.

Local scenes for “Tow” were filmed near the Victory Bridge; near the State-Fayette Apartments on State Street, along Smith Street, and inside the city’s Human Services building on Olive Street, said Mayor Helmin J. Caba, who spent time with its production team, and met a few of its celebrity-visitors.

“Wow! It was amazing,” said Caba, noting that movie-makers “were very impressed with our streets, our historic sites, and our waterfront.”

Although the photogenic mayor does not have a walk-on cameo in the upcoming movie, Caba says he was “really thrilled” to welcome actress Rose Byrne, and other celebs to his city, and to promote Perth Amboy for future films.

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“They ( the production staff ) said if they had known more about Perth Amboy beforehand, more scenes would have been filmed here,” said Caba, calling that “a terrific compliment” for the city.

The “Tow” production company also filmed scenes in April and May in Cranford, where movie-makers turned Cranford’s public library into a faux-version of a Seattle police station.

READ: Movie ‘Tow' Filming in Cranford Brings a Star-Studded Cast

The movie tells the true story of a homeless Seattle woman, Amanda Ogle ( Byrne ), who lived in her 1991 Toyota Camry until it was stolen, towed and impounded. Ogle waged a 369-day legal battle in 2017 to reclaim her car, and her life, after the towing company demanded a $21,634 payment. The real Amanda Ogle is an executive producer for the new film.

Pink Toes LLC, is expected to film elsewhere in the Garden State throughout May and June, according to the N.J. Motion Picture and Television Commission .

Caba expressed his gratitude on Facebook to the production company “for choosing our beautiful city. Your hard work and passion bring these streets to life with creativity and drama!”

The mayor’s social media post went on to say: “Perth Amboy is not just film-ready — it’s film-fabulous! We are eager to welcome more storytellers to capture their visions of our vibrant city. Let’s continue to make movie magic together.”

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