Car Theft Surge Is 'Blemish' On NYC's Falling Crime Numbers: Mayor

NEW YORK CITY — Crime yet again fell in New York City during August, aside from one major felony that stubbornly refuses to be driven down, newly released NYPD statistics show.

Car thefts — or grand larceny auto — were up 24 percent in the city compared to August last year, crime data shows.

Most other major felonies, including murder and rape, continued months-long declines after reaching concerning levels amid the pandemic. But not car thefts — they're are up 19 percent for the year, said Mayor Eric Adams.

"It's the grand larceny autos that have really put a blemish on our success," he said Wednesday.

Adams and NYPD officials outlined a new effort to stop the wave of auto thefts, which they said have largely been driven by certain stolen Kia and Hyundai models.

Viral TikTok videos in September 2022 showed faults in Kia and Hyundai ignitions that could be exploited by car thieves, and auto thefts have increased in the year since, police said.

All told, there have been more than 2,000 Kias and Hyundais reported stolen in the city this year, said John Chell, the NYPD's chief of patrol.

Last year, there were only 300, he said.

"That's a 587 percent increase in these cars," he said.

And the car thieves largely appear to be youths, Adams said.

He said more than 51 percent of grand larceny autos arrests since 2022 are of people under 18.

People under 25 years old account for 88 percent of those arrests, the mayor said.

"A joyride does not bring about joy when you have a permanent criminal record that can impact your life," Adams said.

Youth outreach will be part of the NYPD's efforts to curb car thefts, officials said.

Another step will be to deploy one dedicated patrol car with license plate readers in all the NYPD's 77 police precincts, said Commissioner Edward Caban.

He said nearly half of stolen vehicles citywide have been in The Bronx and northern Queens.

"This is where our focus will be," he said.