Home / World News / Lock your cars! Vehicle theft spikes in US amid Covid-19 pandemic

Lock your cars! Vehicle theft spikes in US amid Covid-19 pandemic

Despite silent streets and nearly non-existent traffic, vehicle larcenies shot up 63% in New York and nearly 17% in Los Angeles from January 1 through mid-May

car, auto, manufacturing, firms, automobile

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It's a low-risk crime with a potentially high reward, police say, especially when many drivers leave their doors unlocked or their keys inside.

AP | PTI Los Angeles

3 min read Last Updated : May 25 2020 | 10:56 PM IST

The coronavirus hasn't been kind to car owners.

With more people than ever staying home to lessen the spread of COVID-19, their sedans, pickup trucks and SUVs are parked unattended on the streets, making them easy targets for opportunistic thieves.

Despite silent streets and nearly non-existent traffic, vehicle larcenies shot up 63% in New York and nearly 17% in Los Angeles from January 1 through mid-May, compared with the same period last year.

And many other law enforcement agencies around the US are reporting an increase in stolen cars and vehicle burglaries, even as violent crime has dropped dramatically nationwide in the coronavirus

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