Perhaps not coincidentally, five of the nations hottest spots for vehicle thefts are located in car-loving California. To address the growing number of motor vehicle thefts, the New Jersey State Police established the Auto Theft Task Force. This number of vehicle thefts makes it best to avoid owner complacency as much as possible. The car theft capitals of the U.S. are spread out across the country. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The Newark Auto Theft Unit has been in overdrive since beginning the initiative last month and aggressively sending a message to car thieves that these crimes will be punished. The families are still active in New York city today, but not nearly as much as in the glory years. Prosecutors said in the middle of it all was Hope Kantete, 42, of Brooklyn, who was called "the Lady." Detroit is the largest city in the US state of Michigan, with a population of around 4.4 million people. Up In The Air! Ring that stole cars worth $6 million and shipped them to Africa is busted in Newark 6 from Hudson County arrested, 2 still at large as international auto theft operation shut down; 19. And on the final day of the May 2011 crime spree, the victims were two nursing students--one with her two-year old daughter in the car--who had stopped for a red light in their Mercedes C-300 when they were suddenly cut off by an FX-35 without license plates. 3.7K. And though the city has implemented programs that have reduced its stolen-car stats by over 26 percent since 2016, it still ranks number one in the nation for purloined rides per resident. Ring that stole cars worth $6 million and shipped them to Africa is busted in Newark, 6 from Hudson County arrested, 2 still at large as international auto theft operation shut down; 19 charged, Union County officials arrest 10 in connection with luxury car theft ring. NEWARK, NJ Five North Jersey men have been arrested for stealing at least a dozen cars, mostly high-end vehicles, and fencing those vehicles, New Jersey Acting Attorney General Matthew J. The Newark Municipal Court is located at 31 Green Street in Newark, New Jersey 07102. Warning Against Pursuit. Wilder was sentenced on July 15 to three years in prison. The car -- identified as stolen when a task-force officer who saw it punched its license number into a computer -- was trapped. But Brown, 30, finally sentenced in June to nearly 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to three of the four carjackings, appears to have less company on the streets these days. And increasingly, car theft rings are recruiting minors to swipe cars or key fobs, paying them as much as $1,000 per vehicle, because they know juveniles will face less serious consequences . You can read the NICBs full report and download a complete list of all 383 ranked cities, and theft rates broken down by areas in each statehere. So have nearby cities like Irvington, East Orange and Elizabeth, which all ranked in the top 10 in car theft in 1990, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an industry group. A Complete Breakdown, Are Mazdas Reliable? Much of its work is done by officers in unmarked vehicles stealthily cruising Newark's most desolate neighborhoods, where young car thieves congregate to drag race and do "doughnuts" -- 360-degree spins that leave circular tire tracks. Jason (Sharron Corley) and Midget (Gabriel Casseus) are two teenagers living in the projects of Newark , New Jersey, which at the time was considered the car theft capital of the world . But officers say the number of joy riders has dwindled. Carjacking incidents, while relatively small in numbers statewide, had been climbing with the introduction of keyless entry systems, but recently have been on the wane as well. Our lawyers know how the system works and how to get results for our clients. Here are the cities with the most vehicle thefts per capita. That was up from 5.4 percent of all motor vehicle thefts in 2012. Gap insurance can prevent you from making payments on an already-totalled car, but is gap insurance worth it? The most troubling part of the rising trend is the number of juveniles caught in stolen cars. Philadelphias crime rates are contributed to significantly by organized crime in the city, including organized crime families and various gangs. In the CorrStat region, thefts of high-end motor vehicles increased 127 percent from January 31, 2021 to January 31, 2022. Thefts of high-end vehicles (newer vehicles with sticker prices of $50,000 and up) have risen dramatically over the past year. We represent clients in Newark who have been charged or arrested forNorth Bergen Simple Assault Lawyer,Theft by Deception,Possession of Marijuana,Resisting Arrest,Burglary,TrespassingandRobbery. "They can be sold for multiple times their sticker values there," he said. If you would like to learn more about potential representation,contact our officeat (201) 793-8018 for a free consultation. In addition, the number of hijackings in Chicago in 2021 was the highest rate for the city over the previous 20 years. Motor vehicle theft rate: 705 per 100k people; Average annual motor vehicle thefts: 1,983; Overall property theft rate: 2,024 per 100k people . There was the grey Audi A6 taken at gunpoint in Newark. Lieut. Officials have assigned special auto-theft patrols, talked about the problem at numerous community meetings and imposed mandatory sentences for juvenile offenders. Lieutenant DeCastro said the force concentrates on Newark, since most cars in New Jersey are stolen within 25 miles of the city, and 90 percent of those cars are recovered here. Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin is making available up to $125,000 in federal Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funds to bolster resources and capabilities, including law enforcement personnel and equipment purchases. "It's harder to steal a car," said Anthony Ambrose, Newark's former police director and now chief of detectives for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. Overall property theft rate: 5,505 per 100k people. When it comes to hauling a lot of people and cargo, the minivan is hard to beat. When you shop for a new or used car, CoPilot helps you know more. Regardless, weve used the available data to bring you this list of cities that experience the most carjackings. He was confronted by a masked man with a black handgun and ordered to get out of the car. Instead, the vehicles may be used to carry out other crimes or just for joyriding. "About 10 percent of the cars were stolen through carjackings," he said. NEWARK The vehicles included high-end luxury SUVs from Porsche, Lexus, Audi stolen or carjacked, then slipped through Port Newark to waiting buyers in places like Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Gambia. National averages. But smaller cities with fewer residents typically show a higher per-capita frequency than more densely populated areas. All the cars were destined for shipment overseas. Car washes, for example, offer an opportunity when a vehicle comes out for its final wipe-down and left unguarded for a few moments with its key or fob inside. From 2020 to 2021 alone, local police reported an increase of 29% in stolen vehicles. No one was hit and four Newark youths were arrested. Bakersfield, California, is the top metro area for car thefts, with the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro in Colorado in second place. Read hundreds of blogs from expert sources on armoring. The top vehicles stolen statewide so far this year include Honda Accord, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda CR-V, BMW X5, and BMW 3-Series. Shop and buy your next car with confidence. NEWARK The two leaders of an auto theft ring targeting luxury vehicles have been sentenced to a combined 16 years in state prison. Rick Rickmanis a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. This could be due to high unemployment rates combined with drivers not checking in on their parked vehicles as frequently. In 2021, there were a total of 14,320 vehicles reported stolen in New Jersey, a 22 percent increase in overall thefts compared to the year before. New Orleans, Louisiana, is a city of approximately 1.2 million people. We build and sell around the world. We break down average cost, mileage, features, and more for each recent year model of Altima in order to tell you which year models of Altima you should buy used - and which you should avoid. Here are the cities with the most vehicle thefts per capita. CoPilot helps you avoid any tricks, traps, and scams. "Our criteria is even stricter than those issued by the Attorney General," Lieutenant DeCastro said. A 12th individual was already in state prison on unrelated charges. Despite all the commercial activity in the city, many of its residents are very poor. The loss of a car can be costly and upsetting, but your safety is of paramount importance. All Rights Reserved. South Africa is notorious for carjackings, specifically in Johannesburg. But about 3:30 A.M. on a recent Saturday, four teen-agers who stood in front of a fried-chicken restaurant on Avon Avenue watching speeding cars do doughnuts said the thrill of pursuit was one reason cars were stolen. All three were sent through an international shipping company on Sept. 12. The City is served by the Newark International Airport and several major highways including the New Jersey Turnpike I-95, Interstate 280, Interstate 78, the Garden State Parkway, U.S. Route 1/9, U.S. Route 22, and Route 21. Drop in Thefts Reported. Philadelphia is the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous in the United States, with a population of around 6.2 million people. In 2021, the Auto Theft Task Force conducted 33 vehicle theft investigations, made 75 arrests, seized five firearms, and recovered 130 stolen vehicles valued at approximately $5,690,000. Platkin said that onemember of the group,Tytaneisha Wilder, 33, of East Orange, would drive members to New York to steal the cars or drive them back home after offloading the vehicles. The City is served by the Newark International Airport and several major highways including the New Jersey . Vermont and Maine boast the lowest car theft rates in the country at just 57 and 42 thefts per 100,000 people. Our representatives are available 24/7 to answer your call. I write about how to maximize your automotive investment and more. But in recent days, several people have been killed or hurt in cases involving young people riding in stolen cars, underscoring the seriousness of the problem that remains. Stolen BMW hits Newark, NJ school bus with 11 students, Prosecutor: NJ man had guns, ammo and fake US Marshals badge at Newark Airport, CPR could have saved my boys life NJ mom, Erratic behavior by parent puts Maplewood, NJ school on lockdown, BTS Suga is bringing his solo tour to New Jersey, Guilty: Newark, NJ man murdered ex, and brother helped destroy body, State, Bridgewater blame each other for slow probe of NJ teen mall fight police response, NJ-bound flight forced to turn around after battery catches fire, NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC), Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and EEO Report. On Saturday night, a 15-year-old Irvington boy, Alquan Brown, was driving a stolen Oldsmobile in East Orange when he was shot to death by the police in a scuffle after the car crashed. Indeed, it was in Detroit where the term carjacking was born. For all it has to offer, New Orleans has a problem with crime, thanks largely to high unemployment rates among the citys more impoverished areas. Carjacking in South Africa is known as hijacking, and its a serious problem for the country. The number of cars stolen in New Jersey dropped from 13,709 in 2013 to 11,702 last year, according to State Police data. "So we're asking the public to please lock up your car door, turn the car off, take the keys with you," Brown said. Albuquerque is another hotbed of vehicle thievery, with a tally of just under 700 thefts per 100k residents. In Newark, which still remains the stolen car capital of New Jersey, motor vehicle theft through the first nine months of 2015 through September dropped by more than 16 percent over the same period last year, to 1,511 stolen cars and trucks. Jihad Brown (Essex County Correctional Facility). Carjackings can be violent with weapons sometimes involved, and victims are sometimes attacked even if they show no resistance. Anyone can read what you share. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Cities were ranked according to their average annual motor vehicle theft rate per 100,000 people based on data from 2017 to 2019. Located in the northern portion of Californias Central Valley, Modesto is widely regarded as an area that can be unsafe. The city is a major cultural centre for the United States and is in the top 10 most visited cities in the country. Brown held the black handgun to her head and yelled, "Everyone get the [expletive] out of the car!". He returned and was arrested. The prosecutors said the car then went backward onto the sidewalk and struck a small retaining wall. They include well-worn versions of the Honda Accord and Civic, Toyota Camry and Corolla, and the Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150, GMC Sierra, and Dodge/Ram full-size pickup trucks. Two weeks later, a similar carjacking occurred at The Outlet Collection Mall in Elizabeth when an armed gunman took a victim's black Mercedes S550, ordering him to keep on walking or he would be shot. TRENTON, NJ Its open season for criminals in New Jersey to steal cars. Newark, NJ Newark, New Jersey, is a relatively small city but its close proximity to New York makes it one of the most dangerous cities around. When people are poor, they typically lack opportunities and will often need to turn to desperate measures to support themselves. Today, Newark has become an epicenter for crime earning itself the nickname Car Theft Capital of the World and is also inundated with violent crimes such asaggravated assaultand drugdistribution of heroin,cocaine, andmarijuana. "On March 3, Acting Attorney General Platkin announced that the New Jersey State Police and Division of Criminal Justice are . The vehicles would then be loaded into shipping containers and sent overseas through the ports in Newark, Baltimore and Norfolk, Va. Last week, 14 people were charged with "using the streets of New York as their own personal auto showroom," in a scheme to steal mint-condition luxury vehicles that were shipped by brokers to clients in West Africa. Our law firm defends clients in Newark who have been charged with serious traffic tickets includingDWI,Driving Without Insurance,Leaving the Scene of an Accident, andDriving While Suspended. Violent crime rate: 1,117 per 100k people. You can reach him atrichard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com. Such is the significance of the carnapping problem in Manila that the Philippine government has enacted specific laws to deal with the problem. In Essex, where most of the carjackings in New Jersey are reported, the number of carjackings and attemped carjackings went from 478 in 2013 to 234 in 2014. Portions of this article include a press release from the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office. Carjacking is a particular type of vehicle theft, which means a car being stolen from the owner while they were using it. "Grab them all. ", See the article in its original context from. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, Texas man who corralled tiger roaming loose in Houston neighborhood arrested after high-speed chase, Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts. Kantete, say prosecutors, arranged for legitimate-looking paperwork, shipping manifests and VIN numbers for the three cars, which were subsequently shipped to Tin Can Island, a port in the city of Lagos, Nigeria. Perhaps the most successful joint agency effort has been the Essex-Union Auto Theft Task Force, formed in December 1991. Criminal charges and traffic violations can become very complicated and can carry serious penalties if you are found guilty. Home > News > U.S. Cities With The Most Carjackings. One pursuing officer, John Young, then approached the car and tried to grab the driver, while another officer, Brian David, leaned through the window on the passenger side to take the car out of gear. To improve relevance, only the 150 largest cities in the U.S. were included in the analysis. Its A Honda!: Automakers Pursue VTOL Dreams, These Are The 12 Greenest Cars In The U.S. For 2023, Here Are The 12 Environmentally Meanest Vehicles In The U.S. For 2023, Zero Reteams With Huge Design To Create Sci-Fi SR-X Custom Electric Motorcycle, High Prices And Risky Credit May Steer Buyers To Older Used Cars; Dealers, Lenders Adjust. We just have a car block one way, have a car come around from the other side and pull the kids out of the cars.". The Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded. Approximately 90 stolen vehicles worth more than $4 million taken by the ring were later recovered. With CoPilot, you'll save time, money, and frustration. 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