After climbing steadily for the last five years, car thefts in New York City dipped this year, partly because some drivers and car manufacturers learned how to protect their keyless cars from thieves, according to industry experts and NYPD data.
But they added that car theft is far from behind us, and reports of car theft remain at their second highest level in 18 years, according to NYPD statistics.
“Thankfully, it’s starting to decrease,” said Kevin Gallagher, a board member for New York Anti-Car Theft & Fraud Association, an insurance industry group. “That’s always good news.”
Car thefts were at their highest in the 1990s and early 2000s, before the advent of modern security features. At that time there were 30,000 to 40,000 car thefts a year, according to NYPD data.
After that, there was a steady 20-year decline, and in 2018 car thefts reached a low of about 5,100 per year, according to NYPD data.
Since then, car thefts in New York City have shot up again, mirroring national trends. Gallagher said the growing popularity of key fobs is the big reason, and thefts often happen when people leave their key fobs in or near their cars. Gradually though, several different efforts to prevent car theft have worked, industry experts said.