Auto theft in New York Metropolis goes down a nasty highway.
Automotive swipes have spiked 25 p.c up to now this 12 months, with 4,473 thefts reported via July 4, in comparison with the identical interval in 2020 when there have been 3,580, NYPD information present.
Thieves are apparently having a heyday in The Bronx, the place 1,294 autos have been boosted up to now in 2021, in comparison with 843 in 2020, for a 54 p.c surge.
There have been 1,262 autos lifted in Brooklyn this 12 months in comparison with 1,123 in 2020, a 12 p.c hike and 1,139 stolen in Queens in 2021 in comparison with 1,045 final 12 months, a 9 p.c uptick.
In Manhattan, 684 automobiles have been snatched, with the issue apparently concentrated within the Midtown North Precinct, which encompasses Midtown and contains blocks south of Central Park. That’s the place 426 autos have been snatched this 12 months, as in comparison with 260 in 2020, a 64 p.c surge.
In search of a way of safety? Park on Staten Island, the place auto theft is down 14 p.c this 12 months — 94 — in comparison with final 12 months — 109, the info present.
On July 2, cops thwarted a crazed carjacker in Sundown Park, Brooklyn who sped off with a 2-year-old within the again. The kid was lacking for over an hour following the harrowing 3:40 p.m. incident and located unhurt close to Brooklyn Bridge Park, the place the suspect was arrested.
Automotive theft has gotten so dangerous within the metropolis, that some cops have been steering individuals to an ’80s throwback safety system — The Membership — to safeguard their experience as 2020 got here to an in depth.
The NYPD stated automobile thefts leap in the summertime as a result of individuals are touring extra. Up to now, the division has blamed the state’s bail reform overhaul and the coronavirus lockdown partly, for the surge — with automobile thieves emboldened as metropolis residents weren’t shifting their autos as a lot.
Thefts typically happen when keys or key fobs are left in automobiles, or drivers depart their rides unattended with the motor working, the NYPD stated.
To that, 1,859 of this 12 months’s 4,473 reported thefts — 42 p.c — concerned keys left inside a automobile, the division stated. One other 985 — or 22 p.c — have been motorbike/scooter thefts.
Final 12 months, the division famous the NYPD was seeing a “youthful demographic” — extra thieves beneath 18. Late-model Hondas have been “by far” the apple of a automobile thief’s eye, adopted by Toyotas, cops stated.
This 12 months, the highest 5 automobiles within the cross-hairs are, so as: Ford Econoline, Honda Accord, Honda CRV, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic, the NYPD stated.
Gotham averaged 639 auto thefts on a given day of the week this 12 months, the stats present. Thieves put the pedal to the metallic on Thursdays, when 683 autos have been reported stolen. Their fuel tank runs lowest on Saturdays when the fewest variety of autos — 587 — have been stolen, in keeping with the info.
“Simply wait till New York Metropolis residents see their subsequent auto insurance coverage invoice,” snarked Joseph Giacalone, an adjunct professor at John Jay School of Legal Justice and a former NYPD sergeant, who stated automobile theft has been “off the charts” for over two years.
