To the surprise of nobody who’s been paying attention, a new report from the New York Post spells out how much car theft has risen in the Big Apple over the last four years. It should be a huge wakeup call for policymakers in the big city and even in other metros, but we won’t hold our breath on that one.
Man uses bear spray to stop carjacking.
According to the report, NYPD data shows car thefts have risen a whopping 191% from 2019 to 2023, flying in the face of Mayor Eric Adam’s claim that “crime is down.” We’ve seen similar spin jobs in Washington, D.C. and other cities recently, almost as if some leaders are more concerned about their careers than the overall welfare of the community.
Police stats through the end of 2023 show 15,802 vehicles were reported as stolen to the department for the year. Considering the overall population of NYC that might not sound like much, but consider that most people who live there don’t own a car. Even more sobering is the fact only 5,438 vehicles were stolen in 2019.
It appears things are trending worse, with total car theft rising 15% from 2022 to 2023. That doesn’t bode well for 2024 unless there’s a serious shift, which so far we’re not seeing. The fact the mayor thinks there isn’t a problem might mean even more people in the Big Apple will walk outside to find their ride gone without a trace.
There are of course many things you can do to make your vehicle less attractive to thieves, more difficult to actually steal, and easier to find if it is taken. We don’t want to list out all the aftermarket solutions since the thieves are always looking for ways to defeat them, but let’s just say getting a steering wheel lock probably isn’t going to stop anyone.
Source: New York Post
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