JCL GOT IT!... Roadside Assist was able to pull it up on the flatbed after manually disengaging the lock (on the shifter) and brought it in at the dealer (KEELER at Latham, NY) who did a fabulous job (squeezed me in during a very busy monday service day) and as JCL put it cables need adjustment.... what was puzzling was that it's not even a year old with 6900 miles! why the adjustment?

MOTORDAVID... you're right about the lack of assist from BMW Assist Operators besides getting the tow truck. I lucked out in getting a tow truck guy with common sense who figured out how to manually disengage the lock. Not even the service (writer) guy at the dealer knew.

As mentioned, a bit of common sense from the tow truck guy got it going.

And as expected, I was told, it is not a common occurance.