STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- The NYPD has once again taken to social media to remind car owners on Staten Island how to protect their wheels.
It’s simple. Take the keys out of the ignition.
A 2018 spike in car thefts on the South Shore included cases in which suspects would travel by train and ferry from as far as the Bronx to steal cars with keys left in them, then remove items from the vehicles and ditch them in other parts of the city, according to law enforcement officials.
So far in 2019, the numbers are down compared to this time last year, according to CompStat figures, amid a community outreach blitz by the NYPD beginning last year that’s included this latest post Saturday by the 121st Precinct.
Police have responded to 22 reports of car thefts across the borough so far this year, compared to 27 at the same time time last year. A section of the North Shore extending from Grasmere to St. George appears the hardest hit.