Police in northeast Queens are warning residents to be wary of thieves who have been prowling neighborhoods late at night, breaking into late model autos and stealing the air bags.
“Now that the prices of air bags have fallen below $1,000 it’s no longer grand larceny,” said a 109th Precinct public affairs officer, Anthony LoVerme. “Still, we want to alert the public about it, because along with the theft, the damage they cause can be costly when you add it up.”
In addition to breaking a window to gain entry, additional damage to the interior of a car often happens during an air bag theft. The law however, treats the “malicious mischief” and “petit larceny” as two different misdemeanors, although the victim pays one bill to get his car repaired, LoVerme acknowledged.
Crime Prevention Officers first noticed the trend in early March, when a rash of air-bag thefts occurred “in the 160s, between 20th and 35th Avenues,” LoVerme said.
By the week of March 15-21, the thieves, who cops suspect are stealing air bags to order, had moved to Clearview and Bay Terrace.
A 2008 Infiniti was hit in the wee hours of Monday, March 15, near 202nd Street and 15th Avenue.
The overnight between Thursday and Friday, March 19-20 was especially busy with a 2008 Honda Accord at 199th Street and 16th Avenue, Nissan at 21st Avenue and Utopia Parkway and a brand-new Pontiac at 169th Street and 21st Avenue — all broken into and their air bags stolen.
The 111th precinct has not been immune, with thieves finding fertile ground for larceny “over the line” on those secluded streets, cops say.
A 2008 Nissan Ultima was hit in the wee hours of Tuesday, March 17, at 29th Avenue and 200th Street, roughly in the Clearview section of the 111th
Early on Saturday, March 21, another 2008 Ultima was targeted at 207th Street and 34th Avenue.
Within hours, in Auburndale, a 2008 Honda was stripped of its air bag at 35th Avenue and Francis Lewis Boulevard and a 2008 Nissan Sentra was similarly stripped at 192nd Street and Crocheron Avenue.
“All of these neighborhoods have easy access to highways – in a matter of minutes, these thieves can be in the Bronx,” a police source observed.
Police in the 111th Precinct are offering free VIN etching for targeted car parts to discourage theft. They’ll be at the indoor garage of the Ramada Hotel at 220-33 Northern Boulevard on Saturday, April 4 starting at 9 a.m. and will accept cars until 12:30 p.m. for marking.
Cops remind car owners to turn on their car alarms at night and to remember that a concerned citizenry is their strongest weapon in the fight against crime.
“If you see something, say something,” LoVerme urged. “A strange car cruising your neighborhood could be scouting your car or your neighbors’,” he warned.
Cops ask that you call 9-1-1 to report suspicious activity, especially if you see a break-in in progress. “If you can safely get a plate number that’s great, but give the 9-1-1 operator as thorough a description of the vehicle and occupants as you can,” LoVerme said.
