WOODSIDE — Police and prosecutors put the brakes on a massive auto theft ring that spanned Queens and Brooklyn, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced Wednesday.
Ten people, including three from Queens, were arrested and charged in an 82-count indictment alleging they stole 11 vehicles from dealerships in both boroughs, including Major World in Long Island City, Hillside Honda in Jamaica, and Paragon Honda in Woodside, the DA said.
Ridgewood resident Luis Guzman, 33, and South Ozone Park residents Eduardo Rodriguez, 37, and Joshua Vasquez, 25, were slapped with various charges, including theft, criminal possession of stolen property, unauthorized use of a vehicle and conspiracy, Brown said.
“Rampant car theft in Queens is a thing of the past and this case is a prime example of how we intend to keep it that way. Since I took office in 1991 — when an astounding 50,000 cars a year were reported stolen in Queens — the incidence of auto theft has dropped to fewer than 3,000 cars a year being reported stolen in Queens,” Brown said in a statement.
One of the men from Brooklyn allegedly hopped into a vehicle in broad daylight as it was being unloaded from a truck at Hillside Honda, the DA said.
