Although overall stolen vehicles in the Village have decreased this year, stolen vehicles continue to be a concern for our community. The targets continue to be vehicles such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Range Rover, Audi and other high-end cars. The Old Westbury Police Department continues to monitor this activity in surrounding areas as well as gather and analyze intelligence from various law enforcement sources. This information is used to see if there are any developing trends or patterns. We would like to make our residents aware of a current trend that has been occurring throughout affluent communities in the Tri-Sate area, including here in Nassau County. There have been a number of recent incidents where subjects enter a home through a garage, unlocked doors or unlocked windows. Once inside they search for keys or purses that may contain keys, typically in the kitchen or entry areas of homes. Once they have the keys, they steal a vehicle from the driveway or garage. In some cases multiple vehicles have been stolen at one time. Many of these cases have been occurring in the early morning pre-dawn hours. In addition to the below safety tips, we urge residents to secure garage door openers and place keys, key fobs and purses out of sight from exterior windows and doors.
1-NEVER leave a car unlocked or with the key or key fob inside no matter what time of day.
2-Do not leave valuables in the car. If you must do this, hide them out of sight.
3-Be sure to lock all exterior doors and windows on your home.
4-Be sure to keep your garage door closed at all times and lock the interior door from the garage to inside the house.
5-If you have an alarm system, set it even when home. This adds an extra layer of security.
6-When out shopping be sure to lock your car and take your key/fob with you every time. This includes gas stations. When fueling up, turn off your car and put the key/fob in your pocket. It only takes seconds for a car thief to get in your unlocked car with a key or fob in it and drive off.
7-Be aware of your surroundings. Look around before exiting your car for any unusual or suspicious people or vehicles. If you aren’t sure, drive around the block or parking lot. If you are still unsure or feeling unsafe, call the police.
8-Promptly notify the Old Westbury Police 516-626-0200 (or the local police if you are outside of the Village) of any suspicious activity.