WHITE PLAINS – Auto thefts in residential areas in Westchester County are up more than 50 percent and District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. is reminding residents to keep their car doors locked and do not leave the keys inside the vehicle.
From January to March, thefts of automobiles rose by 57.4 percent from the same period last year. In April alone, 69 vehicles were reported stolen, a 94.3 percent increase over the same month in 2019.
Scarpino said a disproportionate number of those stolen vehicles involve owners leaving keys or key fogs in parked, unlocked cars. He said even vehicles that are left unlocked but do not have the keys in them ae often affected s the suspects rifle through the unlocked cars and steal belongings including electronics, credit cards, cash, wallets, sunglasses and loose change.
“In most instances, car thieves are not going to break the window if you lock the car,” said the DA. “But if you make it easy for them by leaving the doors unlocked and they key fob inside, you are creating an opportunity.”
The district attorney’s Auto Theft Unit and the Westchester Intelligence Center are assisting local police and the National Insurance Crime Bureau in those investigations.
