newark nj car theft capital of the world

"They are robbing valets as well," he said, noting that the target now begins with the key. In fact, homicides in the city accounted for almost half of the increase in 2016 homicides throughout the United States. Learn about the company, mission, and why we exist. Its rate of car thefts sits at about 573 per 100k residents. The city is trying to persuade teens to steer away from crime. Carjacking and carjacking attempts in the state's largest city dropped from 376 in 2013 to 209 last year, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. More than 200 vehicles with an estimated retail value of $6 million were recovered. 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. They arrived in Nigeria in October. Insights. A Complete Breakdown, Are Mazdas Reliable? As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. NEWARK The vehicles included high-end luxury SUVs from Porsche, Lexus, Audi stolen or carjacked, then slipped through Port Newark to waiting buyers in places like Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Gambia. 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. That extra time will literally help to save lives in some cases, in addition to preventing your vehicle from being stolen. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The city is often associated with the mafia, with Charles Lucky Luciano perhaps the most famous New York gangster ever. New Jersey was No. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused record high unemployment, and while the economic situation has improved since the spring, millions of people remain jobless. North Jersey is the car theft capital of the world, with more cars stolen in Newark then any other city. This area accounts for 63 percent of the states total motor vehicle thefts. Carjacking is another crime that New Orleans has to deal with. Newark is also connected to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan by the Pulaski Skyway. "Once they get up to 25 either they find something else to do or they're in prison.". Regardless, carjacking levels still remain high in the city, and residents and visitors are advised to be particularly vigilant in certain areas. A Complete Breakdown, CV Joint Replacement Cost: Everything You Need To Know, Here Are The Jeep Wrangler Years To Avoid, Toyotas Car Chip Shortage: What It Means For Automakers. 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. Located in the northern portion of Californias Central Valley, Modesto is widely regarded as an area that can be unsafe. 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. All the cars were destined for shipment overseas. "They have gotten better at stealing a car when it's running.". While one might think the nations biggest burgs like New York City or Chicago might suffer the highest auto theft rates, and in fact they do register a greater number of car crimes, overall. This year, auto thefts are up 31% and the states revolving door of justice and the handcuffing of local police departments are leading to more brazen thefts. The lack of gang wars in New York was an obvious benefit for the citys law enforcement, but the five families became one of the worlds most powerful crime syndicates ever seen by working together. 25. In Newark, which still remains the stolen car capital of New Jersey, motor vehicle theft through the first nine months of 2015 through September dropped by more than 16 percent over the. Rick Rickmanis a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. This often involves turning to crime, including carjacking. 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. Authorities are still trying to tackle the problem amidst reports of poor leadership among the police. He was confronted by a masked man with a black handgun and ordered to get out of the car. When people are poor, they typically lack opportunities and will often need to turn to desperate measures to support themselves. One youth, in the back seat, was arrested. Approximately 90 stolen vehicles worth more than $4 million taken by the ring were later recovered. Unfortunately, no anti-theft system can prevent a car from being stolen due to sheer negligence. Portions of this article include a press release from the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office. This year to date, there have been 156 attempted and reported carjackings in Newark, said Ambrose. "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. The next night, a gold Mercedes ML350 stolen in North Arlington on Aug. 4 arrived. Within minutes, undercover squad cars swooped in on the red Pontiac hatchback at a busy intersection in the West District. Mayor Sharpe James then issued an angry call for the "harshest penalties possible" for the thieves. 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What happened next is an example of how much the Newark Police Department has changed since the days when the city was the car theft capital of the world -- and the most recent change is the body. Platkin said that onemember of the group,Tytaneisha Wilder, 33, of East Orange, would drive members to New York to steal the cars or drive them back home after offloading the vehicles. 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. The teen-agers, ages 16, 15 and 14, have been charged with homicide and assault. NEWARK The two leaders of an auto theft ring targeting luxury vehicles have been sentenced to a combined 16 years in state prison. They include well-worn versions of the Honda Accord and Civic, Toyota Camry and Corolla, and the Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150, GMC Sierra, and Dodge/Ram full-size pickup trucks. Motor vehicle theft per 100k residents is at nearly 500 attempts. Figures from January 2022 showed that carjackings have tripled from the same month in 2021. 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. Many of the cars, which were shipped to waiting buyers in West Africa, were taken from car dealer lots or service departments. Instead, the bigpipeline for new stolen cars has become West Africa, say law enforcement authorities. 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. It was the second time in less than a week that the police in East Orange had shot a suspected car thief. The models show what would happen in aerial detonation, meaning the bomb would be set off in the sky, causing considerable damage to structures and people below; or what would happen in a ground detonation, which would have the alarming result of nuclear fallout. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. The Task Force is currently in the process of expanding to include new assets, with the potential to expand further if circumstances warrant. If your case is sent to Essex Superior Court we will work with the County Prosecutors Office to negotiate a downgrade of your charges or even a remand to Newark Municipal Court. However, you can take steps make yourself less of an easy target for carjackers protect yourself and your vehicle from carjackers. They know that police are no longer allowed to engage in high-speed pursuits. Brown jumped onto the hood of the Mercedes and pointed a revolver at one of the women through the open sunroof. The citys crime rate is higher than the national average, a significant proportion of which is violent crime. And increasingly, car theft rings are recruiting minors to swipe cars or key fobs, paying them as much as $1,000 per vehicle, because they know juveniles will face less serious consequences . The Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded. Los Angeles, California: 53,928 66. Visitors will come for the multi-cultural feel of the city, its food, live music events, the bustling nightlife, and more. Car theft is rising; it increased 17% from 2019 to 2021. 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. An East Orange officer, Berkely Jest, stood in front of the car and ordered him to stop, but he did not. For all it has to offer, New Orleans has a problem with crime, thanks largely to high unemployment rates among the citys more impoverished areas. To combat theft, remember common sense steps such as rolling up your windows, locking your car and parking in well-lit areas. The trend is not only taking place in Newark. The cars had a fair market value of $149,000. Perhaps the most successful joint agency effort has been the Essex-Union Auto Theft Task Force, formed in December 1991. Shop and buy your next car with confidence. Two other officers testified before a grand jury in the case, and a sixth officer pleaded guilty to filing a false report. Cars were also stolen from gas stations, convenience stores, carwashes, airports and car dealerships. The city is an important economic centre for the country, with tourism and shopping making a significant contribution. To address the growing number of motor vehicle thefts, the New Jersey State Police established the Auto Theft Task Force. Violent crime levels are among the highest in the country, with a large proportion of homicides being related to the illegal drug industry. Officer Young then fired two shots at the driver. 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. Thefts of high-end vehicles (newer vehicles with sticker prices of $50,000 and up) have risen dramatically over the past year. No one was hit and four Newark youths were arrested. Wichita, Kansas. The NICB notes that older vehicles, especially those that originally sold in large numbers, continue to be most frequently targeted by thieves. But smaller cities with fewer residents typically show a higher per-capita frequency than more densely populated areas. California led the list with 19,597. 2023 Armormax. And there seems to be a lot of stupid out there. 2008-2023 - Shore News Media & Marketing Ltd. Co. All rights reserved. More often than not, the NICB said the theft of a new car now is the result of someone leaving the keys in the vehicle, or leaving it running unattended. Home > News > U.S. Cities With The Most Carjackings. Either way, Governor Phil Murphy and his administration are going through the motions by throwing a little bit of cash at the problem. Officials said the group searched wealthy neighborhoods looking for high-end cars unlocked with the key fob in the glove box. This number of vehicle thefts makes it best to avoid owner complacency as much as possible. The national violent crime rate is much lower, at 383 violent crimes per 100,000 people. In addition, State Police analysis reveals a strong nexus between cases involving receiving stolen propertyincluding stolen vehiclesand shootings. 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 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. Najai Diggs, 37, of Newark was the first member of the ring to accept a plea deal. A 17-year-old, Howard Caesar, was shot and wounded as he fled from a stolen car in what prosecutors said was an apparent. to keep up with the latest New Jersey news, sports, entertainment and more. Cities were ranked according to their average annual motor vehicle theft rate per 100,000 people based on data from 2017 to 2019. When you're ready to buy your next car, CoPilot helps you make sure you never get taken advantage of at the dealership. Only the 150 largest U.S. cities were included in the analysis. All rights reserved (About Us). Newark, New Jersey, is a relatively small city but its close proximity to New York makes it one of the most dangerous cities around. Nearly 750,000 vehicles (or 228 per 100,000 residents) are stolen in the U.S. each year, representing a loss of about $6 billion annually. The takedown marked the latest in a series of cases involving the shipment of stolen vehicles to West Africa: Earlier this month, a Washington, D.C., man pleaded guilty in a conspiracy that involved stealing keys from dealerships then driving the vehicles off the lots after closing. 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. The situation is not as severe now but still remains a significant issue. On the evening of Aug. 25, 2011, the informant was at the warehouse when he got a call from Kantete. But about 3:30 A.M. on a recent Saturday, four teen-agers who stood in front of a fried-chicken restaurant on Avon Avenue watching speeding cars do doughnuts said the thrill of pursuit was one reason cars were stolen. Eleven of the 19 charged in three criminal complaints were arrested Wednesday morning. Brown held the black handgun to her head and yelled, "Everyone get the [expletive] out of the car!". Harsher Sentences for Youths. In June, Gov. Detroit has, in the past, held the title for the highest number of carjackings in the United States. All Rights Reserved. In January of this year, municipalities including Monroe, Edison, Franklin Township (Somerset County), Ocean Township, Oceanport, and Hamilton Township (Mercer County) reported motor vehicle thefts with subsequent burglaries into victims residences. Perhaps not coincidentally, five of the nations hottest spots for vehicle thefts are located in car-loving California. Carjacking incidents, while relatively small in numbers statewide, had been climbing with the introduction of keyless entry systems, but recently have been on the wane as well. We represent clients in Newark who have been charged or arrested forNorth Bergen Simple Assault Lawyer,Theft by Deception,Possession of Marijuana,Resisting Arrest,Burglary,TrespassingandRobbery. TRENTON, NJ Its open season for criminals in New Jersey to steal cars. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The Caesar case led to a number of changes in laws involving car theft, as well as reminders from the State Attorney General's office that officers should not chase stolen cars under most circumstances. A struggle ensued, the prosecutor's office said. Kantete was charged with three counts of transporting stolen vehicles and one count of conspiracy to transport stolen vehicles. The black market commerce that once drove car theft has dried up as well, Ambrose said. In Newark, which still remains the stolen car capital of New Jersey, motor vehicle theft through the first nine months of 2015 through September dropped by more than 16 percent over the same period last year, to 1,511 stolen cars and trucks. To be most frequently targeted by thieves the car theft has dried up as well, '' he said noting. Rate per 100,000 people based on data from 2017 to 2019 said, noting that the now. Jersey Attorney Generals Office theft per 100k residents longer allowed to engage high-speed. 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