NYPD: Thieves steal 20 vehicles, likely for other crimes

A brazen group of thieves hit a Queens Mitsubishi dealership over the weekend, stealing 20 late-model vehicles that investigators believe will be used in other crimes, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said Monday.

The auto thefts from the dealership's parking lot at 156-02 Liberty Avenue in Jamaica occurred over a 20-hour period, Essig said. The thieves broke open a lock box containing keys and key fobs and then drove off in the vehicles, according to the chief.

Police did not release the name of the dealership.

While many stolen cars stolen from dealerships are believed to be destined for overseas sales, Essig said investigators suspect those taken from the Mitsubishi dealership will be used to carry out drive-by shootings, robberies and burglaries. The suspects apparently put stolen or temporary license plates on the vehicles, said another police official. 

After the cars are used in crimes, they can either be abandoned or fitted with other counterfeit or stolen license plates to be used repeatedly, Essig said.

One of the stolen Mitsubishi cars was recovered in Brooklyn and detectives are scouring videos and the streets to see if they can identify and recover more of the vehicles, the chief said.

Cops are already dealing with shooters and robbery suspects roaming the five boroughs on scooters so the use of new stolen vehicles is seen as a fresh wrinkle by investigators.

As reported recently in Newsday, police have had their hands full trying to track scooter crews, usually two people to a bike, who suddenly ride up and rob victims on the street or sometimes in outdoor restaurants.

Essig also noted that since mid-August, a group using scooters has hit 23 locations in Brooklyn and Queens, usually bodegas or smoke shops.

He said the scooter cases are hard to crack because the suspects are masked and can flee quickly through traffic, sometimes traveling the wrong way on city streets.

Auto theft in the city, which had steadily dropped since the 1990s, has soared since the pandemic. Through Sunday, auto theft has increased 35.7% over the same period in 2021 and 55.4% in 2020.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.com

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.