Car thefts in the Big Apple have surged a staggering 191% since before the COVID pandemic took hold, new NYPD data shows — as Mayor Eric Adams declared Wednesday that “crime is down.”
A total of 15,802 vehicles were ripped off across the five boroughs through Dec. 31 — an alarming uptick from the 5,438 stolen back in 2019, according to the year-end review of crime statistics.
In the last year alone, auto thefts recorded the biggest spike of any major crime category in New York City — with the number of stolen vehicles up 15% more than the 13,741 swindled in the same period in 2022.
Despite the huge surge in stolen vehicles, overall crime across Gotham did drop slightly in 2023 — down 0.3% — compared to the year prior, the NYPD figures show.
The crime rates, however, are still up more than 31% compared to 2019, per the data.
Still, Hizzoner hailed the year-end stats and insisted his administration had fulfilled its vow to reduce crime across the Big Apple.
“Crime is down, jobs are up, tourism is booming,” Adams said as he touted the latest data.
In the last year, murders were down 12%, with 438 in 2022 compared to 386 last year, according to the stats. Shootings, too, dropped 25% from 1,294 incidents in 2022 to 974 last year.
