Suffolk police are asking residents to be on guard against car thefts this time of year.

News 12 spoke to a resident who says their boyfriend fell victim to a theft when their pickup truck was stolen from their Commack driveway. Security footage shows the brazen move, as the truck is taken Wednesday at 3 a.m. on Harvard Lane.

Whitney Bravo says car thieves checked every car on her block before taking her boyfriend's vehicle.

"I wish they had a bigger heart and didn't do this to people. It's upsetting, it's sad, we just got the car a month ago and we worked really hard to get there and now it's just gone," says Bravo. "And now we have to sit back and wait for insurance."

Suffolk police say car thefts have actually been down in recent years, but 2020 has been an exception.

Suffolk Police Chief Stuart Cameron says they've seen the most car thefts this year since 2016. Police say they're not fully sure why numbers are up but think the pandemic has played a role.

Cameron says as the weather gets colder, more people leave their cars running to keep them warm, creating targets for thieves. He says it's more difficult to steal a car nowadays because you can't just hotwire it, you need the key fob to start newer cars.

Nassau police say they're seeing a similar increase in car thefts too, saying 98% of cars are stolen when people leave their vehicle unlocked with the fob inside.

Both Suffolk and Nassau police say they've made dozens of arrests this year for stolen cars and have recovered most of them. Nassau has recovered nearly 200 stolen vehicles this year.