The Automotive Bermuda Triangle?

It's mysterious. Anecdotal evidence is proffered by the New York Daily News suggesting that the Empire State Building is the nexus of a phenomenon whereby good cars go dead.

The Empire State Building Co., which refused to provide the Daily News a list of its antennas, denied it has created any “adverse impact” on automobiles.

“If the claim were indeed true, the streets in the vicinity of the building would be constantly littered with disabled vehicles,” the building’s owner said.

According to many doormen in the area, they often are.

“They park here on the block and when they come back and try to leave, they can’t start their cars,” said Martin Deda, a doorman at 16 Park Ave., which fronts E. 35th St.

“I’ve seen a lot of cars get towed away,” said a doorman at 35 E. 35th St. who gave only his first name, Joseph. “I see it all the time, at least 10 times a week ... I call it the ‘Empire State Building Effect.’”

If the effect were real, would we not see this at other locations where multiple radio broadcasts are transmitted at once? Or, is it a combination of frequencies, the height of the antennas, etc., that result in cars going haywire?