Parking garage recovery by Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc in Columbus, Ohio
Events & Places

Blue Jackets Game Towing Near Nationwide Arena

Dead battery after the third period? We handle jumps, battery swaps and garage tows around Nationwide Arena from October through spring.

Call (740) 812-9489

Blue Jackets game towing is about a very particular moment: the horn sounds, thousands of fans pour out of Nationwide Arena into a January night, and your car answers the key with a click. The NHL regular season in Columbus runs roughly October through April, so most home games happen in the coldest stretch of the Ohio year, when batteries lose strength fast. This page explains why hockey nights produce so many no-start calls, which garages sit closest to the arena, and how to get help while the post-game traffic is still clearing. We dispatch 24/7 from our yard on Harrisburg Pike, and most metro calls are reached in 20–40 minutes, an estimate that can stretch while exits are jammed. Concert and volleyball nights at the same building are covered here too.

Call (740) 812-9489 · Request a tow now (SOS) · Get an online quote

Why a hockey night is hard on a battery

Picture the timeline. You park around 6:30, the engine cools for three hours or more in an unheated deck or open lot, and by the time the game ends the temperature has dropped again. A battery that barely turned the starter on the way downtown often has nothing left at 10 PM. Headlights left on, a phone charger plugged in, or a door not fully shut make it worse.

Our jump start service includes a battery test with a printed report, so you leave knowing whether the problem was a one-time drain or a battery at the end of its life. If the test says it is finished, we can do a mobile battery replacement right there in the garage, which beats hoping it restarts at the next gas station.

Electric cars need different handling. A dead EV gets a 12V jump first so it can be shifted into transport mode, and if it must be moved, we tow it with all four wheels off the ground. Details are on our EV and Tesla towing page.

Garages nearest the arena and how to pinpoint your car

According to the arena's own parking guidance, Nationwide Arena does not run its own lots; the surrounding garages and surface lots are operated separately. The closest structure is the McConnell Garage, across John McConnell Boulevard on the west side of the building. The Front Street Garage sits a short walk to the southeast, the Arena Crossing Garage is to the north along Convention Center Drive, and the Neil Avenue Garage lies south of Nationwide Boulevard.

When you call, name the garage, the level and the nearest stairwell or elevator, since the arena itself names the McConnell north entrance and the Front Street northeast entrance as accessible arrival points. Our parking garage recovery trucks are low-profile, but finding one car among hundreds on game night is the slow part, so precise directions save real time.

The post-game exit: when to call and where to wait

Nearly everyone leaves at once. Garage ramps queue up, Nationwide Boulevard and Front Street fill, and the I-670 ramps near Neil Avenue back up for a while. If your car will not start, call right away rather than waiting for the crowd to thin; your place in our queue starts when dispatch has your details, and the driver will work through the traffic.

While you wait, stay somewhere lit and warm instead of standing beside a stalled car in a moving ramp. Put the hazards on if you are blocking a lane. Keep in mind that games ending after 10 PM fall into the after-hours window on the rate card, and Saturday or Sunday games carry the weekend add-on as well.

One more caution: the arena restricts pick-ups and drop-offs to West Street and says unattended vehicles there may be towed. Leaving a car at the curb to run inside can end with a separate tow you will have to recover yourself.

Concerts, volleyball and other nights at the same building

Hockey is not the only draw. The Columbus Fury of Major League Volleyball began playing at Nationwide Arena in 2024, and the building seats around 20,000 for concerts. Those events follow their own calendars, including warmer months, so the problems shift: a summer concert brings more flat tires and lockouts than frozen batteries.

Concert crowds also tend to leave later and in a slower trickle than a hockey crowd does. If you have a flat after a show, a tire change onto your spare is a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard; without a usable spare, we can tow the car to a tire shop instead. Ticket in hand for a show but running late and low on gas? Our fuel delivery brings enough to get you to a station, billed at $75 plus $4 a mile en-route plus the fuel.

Nationwide Arena: common questions

Frequently asked questions

What does Blue Jackets game towing cost after a late game?

A jump start on a hockey night is the flat $75 service charge plus $4 a mile en-route. If your car needs a tow, it is $4 a mile en-route, a $125 hook-up and $7 per loaded mile. Many games end after 10 PM, which triggers the $150 after-hours add-on, and weekend games add $50. The dispatcher quotes the total from the rate card before sending a truck.

My battery died in the McConnell Garage after the game. Can you get to it?

Yes. Give dispatch the level, the nearest stairwell or elevator, and the row marking painted on the pillar closest to your car. Our low-profile trucks are built for downtown decks. If exit traffic is still heavy, the driver may need extra time to get up the ramp, so keep your phone on and near you until the technician calls.

Can you swap my battery right in the garage instead of just jumping it?

We can. Every jump includes a battery test with a printed report. When the report shows the battery has failed, we can install a new one on the spot so you are not stranded again on the drive home. The dispatcher can tell you the replacement options for your vehicle when you call.

My electric car won't wake up after sitting in the cold. What happens?

We start with a 12V jump, because most EVs need that small battery alive before they can be shifted into transport mode or powered on. If the car still cannot be driven, we move it with all four wheels off the ground, using a flatbed or a wheel-lift with dollies. Tell the dispatcher it is an EV so the right equipment comes.

I left my car on West Street during drop-off and now it's gone. Did you take it?

No. We do not enforce parking at the arena or anywhere else. The arena warns that unattended cars in the West Street drop-off area may be towed, so check with Columbus Police non-emergency or the posted signs to learn where it went. After you get the release, we can tow it home or to a shop.

Are you affiliated with the Blue Jackets or Nationwide Arena?

We are not. Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent, insured company, with no ties to the team, the league, the arena or its parking operators, and we do not station trucks at games. You reach us the same way as on any other night, by calling (740) 812-9489.

Related help

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent towing company and is not affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the NHL, Nationwide Arena, the Columbus Fury, or any Arena District garage operator.

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc (dba Columbus Roadside Towing).
Corporate office (private, no walk-ins): 3879 Regatta Ct, Lewis Center, OH 43035
Tow yard & impound lot: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223
(740) 812-9489 · chris@columbusroadsidetowing.com

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