Lock your cars!
The Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) is reminding residents to always lock your vehicles when not in use. Thieves prey on people who leave their vehicles unlocked with valuable items inside. Also, when residents leave their key fobs inside an unlocked vehicle, it can easily be stolen.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 850,000 drivers fall victim to this crime every year, with total losses worth approximately $8 billion.
In 2025, Crimegrade.org reports that each household in Suffolk County will lose between $185-288 to property crime theft – including auto theft. The overall cost of crime for Suffolk County is $152 million a year. New York State ranks 10th in the nation for the most car thefts.
SCPD gave the South Shore Press motor vehicle theft data for the last few years. In 2022, 1345 vehicles were stolen with 1417stolen in 2023. A steep drop of over 20% to 1115 vehicle thefts occurred in 2024. So far in the first six months of 2025, 511 vehicles have been reported stolen. If this trend holds up, the end of the year will see and additional drop in vehicle thefts by 8% over 2024.
Recent years have seen an increase in stolen vehicles across the state. Between January 1 and June 30 of this year, NYS DMV recovered 188 vehicles with a total value of almost $5.6 million.
During that same time period in 2024, DMV recovered 120 vehicles totaling $3,553,167 – a substantial increase over the previous year.
“Summer is the busiest season for vehicle thefts, so it is a good time to remind New Yorkers about the steps they can take to protect their purchase,” said DMV Commissioner and Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Chair Mark J.F. Schroeder.
New York implemented a five-point plan called the Comprehensive Auto-Theft Reduction Strategy (CARS). As part of that plan, New York State Police has increased patrols in high theft areas and the State launched a vehicle theft prevention website.
During Vehicle Theft Prevention Month, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is giving valuable tips to protect from losing your vehicles, or parts of them, to thieves.
- Never leave your key fob in the vehicle.
- Close and lock all windows and doors when you park.
- Park in well-lit areas if possible.
- Never leave valuables in your vehicle, especially if they can be seen.
- Check the VIN before buying a used vehicle to make sure it was not flooded or stolen. The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) VINCheck is a free service to help consumers determine if a vehicle has been reported as salvaged or stolen. They can search up to five VINs per day.
- Look for odometer discrepancies.
- Be cautious about buying a vehicle locally with out-of-state titles or a car being sold with a NY title that has out of state inspections stickers, plates or temporary paper plates.