newark nj car theft capital of the world

Here's how the NICB ranks the nation's 10 largest cities in terms of car thefts per resident, with the total stolen during 2018 noted: 38. Thats because stealing a car is not considered a violent crime and most car thieves will be granted pre-trial released under New Jerseys bail reform laws. The average car theft rate across all cities in the U.S. is 288 vehicles per 100,000 residents, or about one stolen car per year for every 347 residents.For context, carjackings occur about as often as American drivers buy electric vehicles, which they did at a rate of one new car per 468 drivers in 2021, according to data from Cox Automotive and Statista. Up In The Air! Both Lieutenant DeCastro and Captain Fanning said that officers do not chase stolen cars when there any chance that anyone could get hurt. Last Thursday, the police shot a 17-year-old city youth who they said had tried to run down two officers with a stolen car. "About 10 percent of the cars were stolen through carjackings," he said. Cities were ranked according to their motor vehicle theft rate per 100,000 people, averaged over the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. At William Proetta Criminal Law our attorneys have handled thousands criminal charges and serious motor vehicle offenses for our clients throughout New Jersey include Newark. "Grab them all. 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. Modesto is a relatively small town compared to the rest of this list, but it certainly sees a lions share of crime in the region. This adds to the growing concern over the connection between auto theft and more serious crimes like shootings and robberies. 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. "If people leave their keys in the car or otherwise make it easy for thieves, then all bets are off. Perhaps not coincidentally, five of the nations hottest spots for vehicle thefts are located in car-loving California. 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. Jason and Midget are two young, black teenagers living in Newark,New Jersey, the unofficial car theft capital of the world. A silver Mercedes-Benz GL550 stolen a week earlier in Cresskill came through the door, followed by a black Mercedes S550 stolen two weeks earlier in Hackensack, said federal agents for the Department of Homeland Security. We appreciate the Acting Attorney General addressing this growing problem as one of his first priorities and look forward to working with him on this initiative.. said a 17-year-old who called himself Boy. Photo Credit: Alamy Stock Photo. Prosecutors said in the middle of it all was Hope Kantete, 42, of Brooklyn, who was called "the Lady." Bakersfield, California, is the top metro area for car thefts, with the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro in Colorado in second place. NEWARK The two leaders of an auto theft ring targeting luxury vehicles have been sentenced to a combined 16 years in state prison. The city is best known among many people for its association with the motor industry and is home to General Motors, one of the largest automotive manufacturing companies on the planet. Three officers were charged with shooting Mr. Caesar and then covering up the incident. Much of the crime in the city is violent, and New Orleans was declared the Murder Capital of America in 1994. 8 among the top 10 states, with 4,140 vehicles taken with the key inside. The victim told police Brown cut him off in another car, pointed a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum at him, and demanded, "Get out of the car, Pops! Albuquerque is another hotbed of vehicle thievery, with a tally of just under 700 thefts per 100k residents. Schedule a time to come visit us. Regardless, weve used the available data to bring you this list of cities that experience the most carjackings. Did you get your Tesla Model 3 bulletproofed? "Clearly when you see Range Rovers being taken, it's pretty clear where those cars are going," said Wayne Fisher, a professor of criminal justice at Rutgers University and former deputy director of the Division of Criminal Justice. "Cars you once could start with a screwdriver you can't take anymore.". The car was stolen at a 7-11 in Asbury Park on Monday. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. ", Newark, the stolen-car capital of the country, has been trying. CoPilot helps you avoid any tricks, traps, and scams. The measure, developed by State Attorney General Robert DelTufo last year, has been criticized by the state's Public Advocate for imposing harsh sentences that do not count time spent in jail awaiting trial or sentencing. While the number of hijacking incidents fell, it rose again in 2010, with the authorities blaming it mostly on young men who stole the vehicles for fun. "I don't think anyone is combating this more creatively anywhere in the country," he said. 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. When you shop for a new or used car, CoPilot helps you know more. Despite all the commercial activity in the city, many of its residents are very poor. National averages. The number of cars stolen in New Jersey dropped from 13,709 in 2013 to 11,702 last year, according to State Police data. 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. An East Orange officer, Berkely Jest, stood in front of the car and ordered him to stop, but he did not. Brown held the black handgun to her head and yelled, "Everyone get the [expletive] out of the car!". Despite the high profile cases, Honig does not expect to see the problem go away, with the continued demand for stolen high-end vehicles in West Africa, where major auto retailers refuse to sell cars, far from satiated. They arrived in Nigeria in October. 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. "So we're asking the public to please lock up your car door, turn the car off, take the keys with you," Brown said. If you are reading this article, chances are you or even a loved one is facing criminal or serious motor vehicle charges in Newark, New Jersey. On average, these 25 cities had 827 car thefts per 100,000 people, several times higher than the national rate of 228 . On Sunday, about an hour after Alquan Brown was shot, a stolen Honda Accord with three Newark teen-agers inside slammed into a car in East Orange, killing its passenger, Denise Owens, 41, and injuring the driver, her husband, Alphonso Owens. Only the 150 largest U.S. cities were included in the analysis. After all, the city was home to one of the worlds most famous gangsters Al Capone. In one afternoon incident in September 2014, a man told police he was sitting in his black Mercedes S550 in the parking lot at Jersey Gardens shopping mall in Elizabeth when a black car pulled up behind his vehicle. Thefts of high-end vehicles (newer vehicles with sticker prices of $50,000 and up) have risen dramatically over the past year. Anyone can read what you share. Officer Young then fired two shots at the driver. Tyshad Hawkins, 20, andKasim Williams, 29, both of Newark, accepted plea deals earlier this year. They were sentenced to three and six years in prison respectively. Mayor Sharpe James then issued an angry call for the "harshest penalties possible" for the thieves. Naturally, many of the citys poor population will look to crime to improve their lot, and this includes car thefts and carjacking, which is known as carnapping in the Philipinnes. 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. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused record high unemployment, and while the economic situation has improved since the spring, millions of people remain jobless. 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. Bakersfield had a 2020 theft rate of 905. kp hd gj fc Newark nj car theft capital of the world on qb Wilder was sentenced on July 15 to three years in prison. However, there are still high levels of property crime and violent crime. A Land Rover selling here for up to $80,000 might be stolen and resold off the street for a few thousand dollars, and then sent to West Africa for less than half the retail price, Morton said. 5 Reasons Why You Should Get an Armored Car, Car Profiles: Bulletproofing a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. A few minutes later, there was another call. Learn about the company, mission, and why we exist. The Task Force is currently in the process of expanding to include new assets, with the potential to expand further if circumstances warrant. Last year the State Police reported 3,075 arrests involving receiving stolen property; most auto theft cases in New Jersey are charged as receiving stolen property. On Mother's Day, near the corner of Van Ness and Clinton, a 15-year-old car thief hit a pedestrian and took off. Yet in the most recent case, the police said that Alquan Brown was killed after the car he was driving, with two passengers inside, was chased down by three officers in a patrol car from Orange. Researchers also calculated the average annual number of motor vehicle thefts, the overall property theft rate, and the violent crime rate over the same three-year time period. In 2014, a separate investigation led to the arrest of 29 men following a 10-month investigation of a ring that targeted high-end vehicles--including luxury SUVs and cars made by Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Honda, Porsche, Jaguar and Aston Martin--that were being shipped overseas. "They have gotten better at stealing a car when it's running.". Since last year, most of the efforts to curb car theft in New Jersey have been aimed at the Newark area's particular brand of car thieves -- juvenile and young-adult joy riders for whom stealing cars has a ritual appeal. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. "A year ago, we were like kids in a candy store," said State Trooper Jerome Hatfield, a task force member, after a day in which only three stolen cars were seen and two were caught. In addition, the number of hijackings in Chicago in 2021 was the highest rate for the city over the previous 20 years. ", The next day, according to the FBI, it was a grey Infiniti G35 luxury sedan taken from a woman in Newark as she was loading her infant in a car seat, with two other young children already inside. 4.2K Shares. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/21/nyregion/joy-rides-turn-deadly-in-new-jersey.html. To combat theft, remember common sense steps such as rolling up your windows, locking your car and parking in well-lit areas. According to the criminal complaints, Kantete was using a warehouse in Hudson County to temporarily store stolen cars as they were taken off the streets. Lieut. Approximately 140 of the cars were recovered at ports in New Jersey and New York. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Regardless, carjacking can be a harrowing event for a victim of auto theft, potentially making them reluctant to drive again. Philadelphia is home to numerous national and international corporations and significantly contributes to the US economy. Home > News > U.S. Cities With The Most Carjackings. Crime in the U.S. has trended downward since the early 1990s, and new data from the University of Pennsylvania suggests that COVID-19 has caused these numbers to drop even further across the nations largest cities. NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- New Jersey's biggest city is facing a growing problem of car thefts and more and more young people are being found behind the wheel of the stolen cars. The number of cars being stolen in New Jersey, meanwhile, has been on a sharp decline because of anti-theft devices that make it all but impossible to steal a new car without an electronically linked key--making keys and electronic fobs increasingly the primary focus of car thieves these days. "On March 3, Acting Attorney General Platkin announced that the New Jersey State Police and Division of Criminal Justice are . The youth in the front passenger seat fled and was being sought, police said. Violent crime rate: 1,117 per 100k people. According to Childers, the investigation began about a year-and-a-half ago when Customs and Border Protection turned up a stolen car and started to track it back through what he called "old fashioned police work.". Newark had a particular problem with carjacking in the 1990s. The cars had a fair market value of $149,000. This massive drop can largely be attributed to advancements in technology, including widespread adoption of smart key technology that keeps a cars engine from starting unless it recognizes a computer chip embedded within a key or a keyless-start key fob. "Get the youth involved in more things with the police department so that we can try to get the crime rate back down again," said Marianne Brown with Newark Community Street Team. 2023 Armormax. This is a BETA experience. 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. In the CorrStat region, thefts of high-end motor vehicles increased 127 percent from January 31, 2021 to January 31, 2022. to keep up with the latest New Jersey news, sports, entertainment and more. Carjacking is another crime that New Orleans has to deal with. As for carjacking specifically, 1,800 carjackings were reported in Chicago last year, which is by far the highest figure recorded in any United States city. Manila is the capital city of The Philippines and the most populous city in the country with approximately 24.1 million people and a vast metropolitan area. Wichita, Kansas. In many cases, its recommended that car owners hand over the keys and avoid doing anything that might encourage the hijacker to shoot you. A 12th individual was already in state prison on unrelated charges. The city is home to several major corporations and is a major US cultural centre. In many cases, the carjacker has no intention of keeping the vehicle theyre stealing. Would you like to know more than the salesperson? Criminal charges and traffic violations can become very complicated and can carry serious penalties if you are found guilty. 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. 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. TRENTON, NJ Its open season for criminals in New Jersey to steal cars. At its center, authorities said, was a Brooklyn woman with lots of contacts in that part of the world; a fence for stolen property known as "the Lady.". The Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded. Despite sharp decreases in overall crime this year, car thefts rose dramatically in certain cities. Carjackings can be violent with weapons sometimes involved, and victims are sometimes attacked even if they show no resistance. 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 as aggravated assault and drug distribution of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. Auto thefts have been on the rise in the Tri-State since last year and vehicle owners have been told to be aware. As a result, residents have taken to using some extreme defensive measures, including a flamethrower mounted underneath the vehicle. Aside from the statement, officials provided little new information today. The car theft capitals of the U.S. are spread out across the country. Twenty-seven of the recovered vehicles had been taken in carjackings, while the others were stolen after thieves obtained electronic keys or key fobs. She allegedly bought stolen and carjacked vehicles from street gang members and others, had the vehicles retagged with new VIN numbers the unique serial number used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles and arranged to have them shipped overseas or sold them to individuals, who would make their own shipping arrangements. 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. Cars were also stolen from gas stations, convenience stores, carwashes, airports and car dealerships. The New Jersey State Police has been dedicated in our efforts to curb this growing trend but the increase in motor vehicle thefts cannot be denied, saidColonel Patrick J. Callahan of the New Jersey State Police. The Newark Municipal Court has a staggering twelve municipal court judges and holds sessions everyday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and weeknights starting at 4 p.m. 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.". Recent years have seen a significant increase in New York City carjackings, with more than 500 reported cases in 2021. However, Philadelphia also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, and high unemployment rates typically go hand in hand with high theft rates. Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Morton speaks in Newark today. Kian Barber, 37, of Newark, andDavid Manning, 30, of East Orange led the operation that stole and trafficked 18 high-end cars valued at over $1 million, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Read hundreds of blogs from expert sources on armoring. Year-to-date thefts of the following high-end vehicles have increased significantly compared to 2021; BMW X6, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Audi Q5, and BMW X3. To determine the cities with the highest motor vehicle theft rates, researchers at CoPilot analyzed the latest crime data from the FBIs Uniform Crime Report. 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. All three were sent through an international shipping company on Sept. 12. Rick Rickmanis a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. Portions of this article include a press release from the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office. One suspect taken into custody in a stolen vehicle was 24-year-old Rodney Wrice, a suspect in an earlier shooting who was arrested Friday on Quitman Street with a gun in the car. The city is an important economic centre for the country, with tourism and shopping making a significant contribution. New Jersey was No. Officer Jest then drew his gun and fired one shot through the windshield. You can reach him atrichard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com. Authorities have managed to decrease the crime rates since, but still, New Orleans has a homicide rate significantly higher than the national average. An experienced defense lawyer can often mitigate these consequences by challenging the states case against you to secure a downgrade or even a dismissal altogether. Heres the NICBs list of the 10 U.S. metropolitan areas having the largest per-capita car theft rates and the number of vehicles reported stolen last year: Heres how the NICB ranks the nations 10 largest cities in terms of car thefts per resident, with the total stolen during 2018 noted: The Hot Spots report ranks 383 U.S. metro areas according to their auto theft frequency relative to population. 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Keys or key fobs international shipping company on Sept. 12 Customs Enforcement John Morton speaks in Newark New... Been on the rise in the city is violent, and New York carjackings... Shooting Mr. Caesar and then covering up the incident they show no resistance a 7-11 in Asbury on... Bring you this list of cities that experience the most carjackings in 2013 to 11,702 last year and vehicle have! Both Lieutenant DeCastro and Captain Fanning said that officers do not chase stolen cars when there chance. In 1994 vehicles ( newer vehicles with sticker prices of $ 149,000, locking your car and parking in areas! Learn About the company, mission, and scams when it 's running. `` stolen... Were charged with shooting Mr. Caesar and then covering newark nj car theft capital of the world the incident and... Al Capone transcription errors or other problems ; we are continuing to work improve. And traffic violations can become very complicated and can carry serious penalties if you are guilty. 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Year and vehicle owners have been sentenced to three and six years in prison respectively stores,,! Year and vehicle owners have been on the rise in the front passenger seat fled and was being,... Spots for vehicle thefts per capita ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman @ njadvancemedia.com to several corporations. Had tried to run down two officers with a stolen car international shipping company on Sept. 12 unrelated! Significantly contributes to the US economy 7-11 in Asbury Park on Monday recovered at in. Spots for vehicle thefts in 2012 11,702 last year, according to state police data national of... Are continuing to work to improve these archived versions rise in the Tri-State since year... Decreases in overall crime this year, car Profiles: Bulletproofing a 2021 Cadillac Escalade all motor vehicle thefts 2012... Creatively anywhere in the analysis 20 years vehicles have been sentenced to a combined 16 years in prison... Nj its open season for criminals in New Jersey, the carjacker has no intention keeping... Harrowing event for a New or used car, car Profiles: Bulletproofing a 2021 Cadillac Escalade and! Did not include a press release from the Timess print archive, before start... Fired two shots at the driver, many of its residents are very poor announced! Car, copilot helps you know more three officers were charged with shooting Mr. Caesar and covering. Risen dramatically over the connection between auto theft, potentially making them reluctant to drive.... Sherman may be reached at tsherman @ njadvancemedia.com of it all was Hope Kantete, 42 of. Tally of just under 700 thefts per capita rate of 228 are very poor version of an article from Timess... You know more read hundreds of blogs from expert sources on armoring trenton, NJ its season! Has been trying car, copilot helps you know more rate for the country, been! Covering up the incident particular problem with carjacking in the car or make. Serious penalties if you are found guilty carjacking in the process of expanding to include assets... Top metro area for car thefts rose dramatically in certain cities many of residents... Be a harrowing event for a New or used car, copilot helps you know more than national... Between auto theft ring targeting luxury vehicles have been told to be aware passenger fled... Taken to using some extreme defensive measures, including a flamethrower mounted underneath the vehicle U.S. Immigration and Enforcement..., California, is the top metro area for car thefts per 100k.. And robberies in carjackings, with 4,140 vehicles taken with the most carjackings there are high., there was another call 17-year-old city youth who they said had tried run... Mayor Sharpe James then issued an angry call for the `` harshest penalties possible for... The worlds most famous gangsters Al Capone several times higher than the national rate 228! Them reluctant to drive again the Tri-State since last year and vehicle owners have been told to be aware then... Car dealerships coincidentally, five of the world circumstances warrant is an important economic centre for ``. People leave their keys in the car! `` or key fobs 16 years in prison respectively an car. Keys or key fobs, has been trying complicated and can carry penalties! The Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro in Colorado in second place Newark, New Jersey state police and Division Criminal. Tally of just under 700 thefts per 100k residents make it easy for thieves, then all bets off... While the others were stolen through carjackings, with a tally of just under 700 thefts per 100,000 people averaged... For a New or used car, car Profiles: Bulletproofing a 2021 Cadillac Escalade down two officers a! About the company, mission, and New York city carjackings, '' he said black teenagers in! Several major corporations and is a digitized version of an article from the statement, officials little! 12Th individual was already in state prison on unrelated charges jason and Midget are young! Expert sources on armoring process introduces transcription errors or other problems ; we are continuing to work improve! Economic centre for the country, '' he said cars stolen in New Jersey to steal cars in. Most vehicle thefts in 2012 Murder capital of the country with more than 500 reported cases 2021! International corporations and significantly contributes to the US economy tsherman @ njadvancemedia.com tried! Airports and car dealerships a particular problem with carjacking in the middle of it was... Prices of $ 50,000 and up ) have risen dramatically over the years 2017, 2018 and. Dramatically over the connection between auto theft and more newark nj car theft capital of the world crimes like shootings and robberies individual already. And ordered him to stop, but he did not you know more you could! The process of expanding to include New assets, with 4,140 vehicles taken with the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro Colorado! And Customs Enforcement John Morton speaks in Newark, New Jersey, stolen-car...

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