Police from a Bayside-based precinct are warning residents about the recent uptick in thefts from cars.
According to a recent Tweet from the 111th Precinct, there has been an increase in this particular crime on the northern end of the precinct. Thefts from cars along with mailbox fishing are classified as “grand larcenies,” which have risen when compared to last year.
We have had an increase in thefts from cars on the northern end of the precinct. If you see anyone pulling on door handles, pls give us a call.
Remember to ? your car. pic.twitter.com/LVJz21RWTi
— NYPD 111th Precinct (@NYPD111Pct) March 20, 2019
According to information from the precinct, there were car break-ins at the following locations in February and March:
- Feb. 18: 61-40 213th St.
- Feb. 23: 219-31 38th Ave.
- Feb. 23: 36-29 219th St.
- Feb. 24: 38-23 215th St.
- Feb. 24: 175-07 Peck Ave.
- Feb. 26: 33-03 Francis Lewis Blvd.
- Feb. 27: Vanzandt Avenue and 248th Street
- Feb. 28: 249-26 Northern Blvd.
- March 1: 247-15 Deepdale Ave.
- March 1: 52-81 Little Neck Pkwy.
- March 3: 57-32 229th St.
- March 4: 64-30 231st St.
- March 7: 33-30 200th St.
- March 7: 33-28 200th St.
- March 8: 43-11 219th St.
- March 9: 46-28 Utopia Pkwy.
- March 12: 242-02 61st Ave.
- March 15: 32-30 203rd St.
- March 17: 193-10 45th Ave.
Captain John Hall confirmed that two of the listed incidents were felonies based on the value of property or credit card stolen — the rest are misdemeanors. In all of the cases, the cars were unlocked. The 111th Precinct was able to arrest three individuals for breaking into cars this year.
At the March 4 Community Board 11 meeting, Crime Prevention Officer Stine reminded residents to lock their car doors, even if they were leaving for a short amount of time.
“A lot of our issues still is people leaving their cars opened. We have plenty of cameras out there where kids are really just walking up and down the block just pulling on your car handles. Make sure your car is locked,” Stine said. “A lot of the kids, they just want some quick cash and they’re gonna keep trying to find the one that’s opened.”
He also said that thieves were stealing tires and rims off of Hondas and Nissans and shared preventative measures for car owners, including turning the wheels toward the curb to make them harder to remove.
“If you have wheel locks, do not keep the lock inside the car — keep the lock inside the home or on you,” Stine said. “If you can, park in your driveway or inside a garage.”
According to 111th Precinct crime stats, grand larcenies as a whole have gone up since last year. CompStat data showed that from March 4 to 10, the precinct recorded 68 grand larcenies in 2019 compared to 53 in 2018.
Story updated on Thursday, March 21 with information from the 111th Precinct.
