Tire, Rim Thefts Hit Northeast Queens Hard, Cops Say

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — A borough-wide spike in tire and rim thefts is hitting northeast Queens hard, according to the police.

The NYPD's 111th precinct, which covers a region of northeast Queens that includes Bayside and Douglaston, has gotten reports of 37 such thefts so far this year, up from 16 last year.

In 2017, there were 43 thefts by this time of the year, precinct officers say.

The spike prompted the precinct to add staff to its midnight shift, police wrote in a Facebook post. The NYPD's Queens North bureau has also sent the precinct additional resources to help them tackle the increase in auto strippings.

(Keep up with news in Bayside by subscribing to Bayside-Douglaston Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

"The Commanding Officer of the 111th Precinct is aware of this and has increased staffing and deployed resources, both seen and unseen, across the command," NYPD Sergeant Mary Frances O’Donnell said in an emailed statement to Patch.

"The NYPD is committed to protecting all New York City communities and ensuring the safety of everyone who lives and works in them and we ask members of the public to report any suspicious activity to the police. The investigations into these thefts are active and ongoing."

The thieves aren't targeting any particular part of northeast Queens and are also hitting other parts of the borough, according to the 111th precinct, which is partnering with neighboring police stations on the issue.

Police advise car owners to use wheel locks to deter thieves and encourage residents to call 911 to report suspicious vehicles in their neighborhood, especially in the early morning hours.

Just days before Thanksgiving and another car is stripped in northeast Queens. Criminals don’t take holidays off as this is becoming a trend citywide pic.twitter.com/kL80ycw19y
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) November 26, 2019