A gun was drawn and it didn’t take long for the parking lot attendee to hand over the keys to a BMW and an Audi. A few seconds later, the high-end cars that had been parked in a Downtown Jersey City parking lot were in the wind and out of sight.
A few days earlier and a few miles south in Bayonne, Ernie Post was walking his dog and noticed something was missing. His old, beat-up jalopy of a 2002 Ford F-350, the one he used only to get to work and back, was gone from the street. Surely no one would steal that vehicle, he thought.
He thought wrong. The truck, stripped and missing its catalytic converter, was found on the side of Route 78 the following day.
“The way they did it was pretty smart,” he said. “Leave the truck on the side I-78 with the flashes going and the headlights on. Everybody must have thought they were just doing some work on the bridge or inspecting it or some s***.”
In Hoboken, police are scratching their heads at the number of drivers who leave their cars running with the keys inside while jumping out to grab a take-out order or run an errand — especially around dinner time. Car thieves are amazed too, that despite numerous media reports, drivers just keep on doing it.
“On many occasions, the operator is in possession of the key fob while away from their vehicle, mistakenly believing the vehicle will not operate without it,” Hoboken Lt. Jonathan Mecka said.
The incidents are not isolated. Motor vehicle thefts have risen drastically in Hudson County, as much as 40% in 2022 by some estimates. That number would be line with the statewide statistics — a 36% increase over the same time period in 2021. Statistics for the entire county were not available, but municipalities large and small have noticed the trend.
In Hoboken police responded to 21 vehicle thefts through the first three and a half months of 2022 after responding to 40 in all of 2021. Secaucus also appears headed for 25-30% increase, with 13 vehicles stolen this year (and another attempted theft), compared to 29 all of last year.
Jersey City is on pace for roughly 950 vehicle thefts in 2022 after 648 were stolen last year. In Union City, 26 vehicles have been stolen this year, putting the city on pace for a 23% increase.
The problem in battling the alarming trend is made more difficult, police across the county say, by the fact that there are a multitude of reasons for the spike.
“The vehicle thefts we’ve recently experienced are mostly crimes of opportunity triggered by people leaving their keys in their cars and, oftentimes, while it is still running, further alerting an actor to such an opportunity,” said Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione. “The JCPD continues to do outreach to educate drivers and advise them not to leave the keys in the car at any time.”
Hoboken is taking it a step further. As part of the “Shut Off Your Engines” campaign, police officers are going door-to-door and business-to-business to remind people that shutting off their engines isn’t just a responsibility, it’s the law.
One day last week Police Officer Damian Bates was making the rounds on Washington Avenue when he came upon a SUV’s hatch truck wide open, filled with items — and not an owner within sight.
Bates shook his head, closed the trunk door and called it in to headquarters. No time to waste when there are so many people to remind.
“People don’t realize that vehicles are stolen and used in the commission of other crimes,” Mecka said. “We need residents to do everything they can do to limit the possibilities.”
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez made note of the statewide increase on social media April 15, reminding motorists to take the keys out of their vehicles and lock their doors.
“The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office is working with local law enforcement to help increase awareness of the statewide uptick in auto thefts and inform residents about the measures they can take to prevent themselves from becoming a victim,” Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Caitlin Mota said.
Of the 26 stolen vehicles reported stolen in Union City, 50% can be attributed to human error, Union City police Capt. Anthony Facchini said. Eight were left running by the vehicle owner and five were vehicles rented through social media/apps and never returned to the owner.
But the rise in auto thefts goes well beyond the absent-minded or lazy motorist leaving the keys in their vehicle. A statewide revised pursuit policy that went into effect in December 2020 allowed police pursuits only in cases of the most serious crimes or the suspect is a danger to the general public.
Law enforcement officials, both locally and nationally, say car thieves are catching on.
“I think they know that police officers will not pursue them at a certain point, and it emboldens them,” said Mecka of the Hoboken Police Department. “Police have to weigh the risk and reward of a chase over a stolen vehicle, and in a place like Hoboken, with small, tight streets, it is dangerous.
”Recovering stolen vehicle is not worth someone’s life.”
That policy was revised Friday to allow police pursuits of stolen vehicles after it was blamed for the spike by politicians and a number of law enforcement officials.
“These changes will give law enforcement the tools that they need to meet the moment and to protect our communities while also being mindful of the inherent risks that come to officer safety and to the public when officers do engage in police pursuits,” state Attorney General Matthew Platkin said at a news conference.
Officials point to the number of crimes, like drive-by shootings, that are committed in stolen vehicles. The assailants know that there are surveillance cameras, but a stolen vehicle is traced back to the owner, not them.
“That makes out job that much harder,” said one law enforcement officer who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak. “The number of crimes committed using stolen vehicles is a serious issue.”