BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR SEPT. 24-30, 2021 9
puter think all keys were lost
and created a new key code
that links to the car key fob —
all of which takes about fi ve
minutes.
With the cars stolen, the
thieves change the vehicle
identifi cation numbers and
replace the license plates
with fake paper copies before
selling them domestically
through websites such
as Facebook marketplace and
even export them to countries
such as the Dominican Republic.
The victims of those
crimes are often two-fold,
police noted. In addition to
the individual who had their
vehicle stolen, the individual
who purchased an unknowingly
hot car would potentially
lose the ride they
bought upon police seizure,
and all of the money they
spent to get it.
The sting
Beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday,
detectives swiftly apprehended
nine individuals
at their homes, successfully
cuffi ng the subjects without
incident.
While suspects were
transported to the 44th Precinct,
fellow police offi cials
swept into several car workshops
and lots for the missing
vehicles.
According to sources close
to the investigation, tips from
the community were instrumental
in bringing the NYPD
to these locations.
Offi cers carefully
searched the businesses in
the Mount Hope and Tremont
area, using fl ashlights and
other means to identify their
authenticity, until they came
across several stolen Hondas
and Acuras. These vehicles,
many of which were taken
from areas in the Bronx,
Westchester, and Manhattan,
were recovered by the team
and join some 100 other cars
police have already secured.
“We recovered about 12
cars this morning and we had
approximately over 100 that
we recovered previously,” La-
Pollo told amNewYork Metro.
‘We were able to safely apprehend
nine out of our ten
subjects, which will be going
to court to face their alleged
crimes. As a result, we
found numerous evidence at
one of our search warrant locations
that show that these
vehicles were being retagged
and sold to customers within
the United States as well as
overseas.”
Police sources said the
takedown had been delayed
due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
but they were confi -
dent it would make a difference
in increasing safety
throughout the city.
“This will defi nitely benefi
t the community. This crew
was prolifi c throughout the
city,” LaPollo said. “They
stole at least 300 vehicles.
That’s 300 victims that woke
up one morning and found
their cars weren’t there.
That’s people who couldn’t
get to work. That’s people
who couldn’t drive their kids
to school. This crew has now
been shut down and we won’t
see this kind of theft rate for a
while in New York City.”
According to police
sources, some of the victims
were able to recoup their
losses from their insurance
companies, while others who
did not have insurance, if the
vehicle was recovered it was
returned to them.
Although the day was a big
win for law enforcement, the
investigation will continue
with more arrests and vehicles
expected to be recovered
in the near future.
This story appears courtesy
of our sister publication am-
NewYork.
Stolen vehicles are recovered.
Offi cers enter a car lot in search of stolen vehicles.