As previously noted there have been numerous high-end vehicles reported stolen across North Shore communities of Nassau County. There has been an increase of stolen vehicles county wide of 240% year to date, not including Village and City police data. In data collected by the Old Westbury Police Department, from other North Shore Village Police Departments, and north shore communities covered by the Nassau County Police 6th precinct and 2nd precinct, there have been 89 stolen vehicles year to date. Thefts are still occurring overnight/early morning hours; however, a recent trend has been stealing cars during the daytime hours. Thieves are targeting cars that are left running or left unlocked during the day. Thieves continue to target affluent neighborhoods.
The most common vehicles targeted are high end SUV’s including but not limited to, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche and Range Rovers. Keys or key fobs being left in the vehicles continues to be a major contributing factor in the thefts. Additionally, some vehicles may have an additional 3rd valet key/fob that may be left by the dealer, unknown to the owner in the glove box or center console. Please be sure to check and account for all keys/key fobs for your vehicle and assure none are left inside the vehicle. An additional step is to check that all key fobs operate properly. There have been incidents where key fobs have been taken and replaced with a “dummy” key fob that is attached with an actual key fob on new vehicles prior to delivery to the dealership. A tracking device such as an Apple AirTag can be used to then steal the vehicle at a later time. (See additional posting here, from our partners at the Nassau County Police Department on Apple AirTags) The Old Westbury Police Department continues in its mission to gather and assess the most up to date crime and intelligence information. In collaboration with our law enforcement partners this information is used to combat crime trends and help keep the community safe. Please notify the Old Westbury Police without delay of any suspicious activity. In case of an emergency please call 911.