Suffolk police warn of spike in thefts from motor vehicles, stolen cars

Videos captured two of several recent break-ins across Suffolk on Pine Drive in Bay Shore and Oakwood Road in Huntington.

News 12 Staff

May 20, 2020, 9:22 PM

Updated 1,606 days ago

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Drivers in Suffolk are being reminded to lock their car doors as thefts and break-ins have spiked.
Videos captured two of several recent break-ins across Suffolk on Pine Drive in Bay Shore and Oakwood Road in Huntington.
"They rummaged through the car, the glove compartment, the trunk," says Kevin Conlin.
"Noticed our car doors had been opened, went in my truck, it was completely ransacked," says Francesco Balanza. "My stuff was everywhere, center console open, noticed my wallet was missing. I found out a lot of people's cars were broken into same night as mine."
Suffolk police issued a warning Wednesday, saying in the first 4.5 months of the year, thefts from motor vehicles increased 30%, along with a 23% spike in stolen cars.
In April, there was a 45% increase in stolen cars and a 97% jump in property stolen from vehicles. So far in May, those numbers are at a 64% increase in stolen cars and 37% increase in stolen property, when compared to the same time period last year.
"More than half is because the car is left running, or the keys are left in it," says Suffolk Chief of Detectives Gerard Gigante. "We'd like to see people being more aware and alert to locking their vehicles."
Gigante attributes the spike to more vehicles remaining parked, leading to more opportunities for theft.
"It's a combination of people needing money and the fact that people are home during the shutdown," he says.
Nassau police say there has been a 15% increase in stolen cars - 179 in total to this point, up from 155 at this point last year.