A crew of fast and furious thieves is having a “wheely” good time in the 61st Precinct, which is seeing an increase in both car tire and auto thefts.
Captain George Mastrokastas, the commanding officer of the 61st Precinct, explained to the 61st Precinct Community Council last week that although felony crime was down over the summer, the number of car thefts has skyrocketed over the past month, from 9 to 19, according to recent NYPD CompStat figures.
The precinct has also seen an increase in tire thefts, Mastrokastas said, adding that tire thefts were “driving up” his grand larceny numbers.
The commanding officer said that at least 10 car owners went out to their cars in the last month to find their vehicles on blocks. All four tires and rims were missing, he said.
“They [the thieves] usually come by between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., jack up the car, remove the tires and leave the vehicle on cinderblocks,” he said. “But by far the car they focus on is the ‘09 Maxima.”
In the last month alone, six ‘09 Maximas had lost their wheels. Tires were also removed from an Altima, a Honda and two BMWs.
Trying to stem the tide, the precinct identified 120 residents in the 61st Precinct who own ‘09 Maximas and alerted the to the spree of thefts.
In a letter sent out by the precinct, Maxima owners were encouraged to invest in tire locks, as well as take other precautions, like making sure that their cars are parked in well-lit areas.
“[The wheel locks] will supply an additional layer of security that the bad guy has to go through,” said Mastrokastas, adding that since these thefts are all about speed, thieves wouldn’t want to hassle with tire locks.
Mastrokastas said that from the evidence they’ve gathered, many of the thieves are low-tech and are armed with only a star-shaped lug-nut wrench that can be found in most automobiles.
Investigators believe that once they’re taken, the tires are sold on Craig’s List or through private sales.
Despite the increase in tire and car thefts, overall crime in the 61st Precinct has dropped by 24 percent over the past year. Felony crime dropped seven percent last month, according to NYPD CompStat figures.
According to officials robberies have dropped by 36 percent. Burglaries in the command dropped by an additional 24 percent.
“We’ve had a phenomenal year,” Mastrokastas said. “Last year we were up by eight percent, so even if you take that into consideration, we’re still down by 16 percent.”
The summer, he said, went very smoothly.
“Everything went well. We hope we can repeat it again next year,” he said.
The 61st Precinct protects residents in Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Homecrest and parts of Midwood.
