Auto Theft Spikes 1,100 Percent In Harlem Precinct Over Last Year

HARLEM, NY — Car thefts are up an astonishing 1,100 percent in one Central Harlem police precinct when compared to the same time period last year, new police data shows.

There were only two auto thefts last August in the 32nd Precinct — which covers Central Harlem above West 127th Street.

But police data shows that this August saw reported thefts spike, with 24 incidents of grand larceny auto.

That comes out to a staggering statistical increase of 1,100 percent.

The number is way higher than the year-over-year increase seen citywide in August of around 24 percent, a number that pushed Mayor Eric Adams and police officials to announce new steps to tackle the increase in car thefts.

The NYPD plans to deploy at least one dedicated patrol car with license plate readers to each of the city's 77 police precincts, said NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban.

Youth outreach will also play a role in the NYPD's strategy, as people under 25-year-old account for 88 percent of auto theft arrests, according to the mayor.

Overall, crime has been dropping citywide. Adams called the auto theft spike as a "blemish on our success."

And the major spike in the 32nd Precinct appear to be an isolated pattern in Harlem.

While two of the other police precincts that cover Harlem, the 28th and 25th Precincts, also saw auto theft increase in August compared to the same month last year, the numbers are nowhere near what the northern part of the neighborhood has experienced.

For example, in the 28th Precinct, which covers Central Harlem from Central Park North to West 127th Street, car thefts were up by 133 percent over last year, an increase from three reported incidents in 2022 to seven this year.

In the 25th Precinct, which covers East Harlem above East 115th Street, auto thefts only increased by one this August, with five reported thefts this year compared to four last August.

And in the 23rd Precinct, covering East Harlem between East 96th and East 115th streets, reported car thefts actually decreased by one this August, with only seven thefts compared to eight in the same month last year.

Year-to-date, major crime numbers have dropped in all of the Harlem precincts between five and 12 percent over last year — except for the 32nd Precinct, where major felonies are up 2.81 percent.

And which major felony has had biggest increase so far this year?

Grand larceny auto, up a total of 69 percent year-to-date.

27 percent of all reported auto thefts so far this year in the 32nd Precinct — 24 of 88 in total — happened in August.

Additional reporting by Matt Troutman