NJ YouTuber Talks About Living And Cooking In His Car In Bergen County

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Arslan Shono is a young YouTuber who lives in his car in Bergen County, and he's about ready for a change.

For the past three years, while working on his nursing degree in New Jersey, Shono has parked on streets and in store parking lots each night, saving thousands of dollars on North Jersey's notoriously high rents.

Many of his recent "Solar Camper Car" videos — in which he cooks meals and occasionally gets spotted by fans — have racked up more than half a million views.

Slomo, 29, was born in Jordan, he told Patch recently, although his family hails from the Caucasus Mountain region.

The family immigrated to North Jersey when he was 17 because they had relatives here.

In 2020, Shono slept in his car for a few days during a busy work assignment, but then he realized it might be a good lifestyle change.

"I slept in my car initially back in 2020 for three days while working my previous job as a brain monitoring technologist at hospitals," he explained.

"After doing the math for monthly and yearly savings, I realized how much money I could save. That's when I started building my vehicles into full-time living campers."

Over the past three years, he's lived in a van, SUV, and sports car, often parking in business parking lots or on Bergen County streets.

Slomo continued with his nursing degree, which he finally attained this summer. He said in one recent video that he was going to move to Colorado, but apparently, he's changed his mind.

"My short term plans are to upgrade to a bigger vehicle (minivan) and work at a New Jersey hospital as a nurse," he told Patch last week. "Save money and long term buy a piece of land and build my own tiny house, all while recording my journey on YouTube."

He noted, "I love New Jersey because most of my family are here. They are important to me."

In his videos, Shono talks about how he spends his nights.
He buys food at grocery stores just for that day, so he doesn't have to store it. He makes sure it's to scale — purchasing half-sticks of spaghetti in a box in one video, to prepare spaghetti and meatballs.

In a recent video, he parks at a Bergen County Walmart. Several people pull up when they recognize his sports car. He gives each one a Solar Camper Car sticker. Feeling cramped, he later drives to the parking deck of the American Dream Mall and watches the sun set over MetLife Stadium.

But Is It Legal?

In a video from earlier this month — titled "I Was CAUGHT By A Police Officer While Living In My Car" — a police officer discovers Shono, and the pair agree that he's not breaking any state laws.

Shono, who has a wine glass full of water with him, tells the officer he's just been drinking water.

A law blog says that simply sleeping in your car isn't a crime in New Jersey. If you're operating the vehicle drunk or recklessly, that's another story.

However, each town has different laws about parking and loitering. And a rest stop or store parking lot may have specific hours.

Gaining Momentum

Shono is steadily gaining fans. In a video this month, he demonstrated how to survive in a car if your partner kicks you out of the house.

"One of the cashiers at this Walmart just recognized me," he says. "I'm not going to lie. It felt pretty good."

As he's narrating the video, a man pulls in next to him and says, "Are you the guy from YouTube?"

"How cute that you're getting recognized!" wrote a viewer in response. "I vote yes on the minivan! You'll love it!"

See more of Arslan Shono's videos here.

Know of another unique story in North Jersey? Tell Patch.