They weren't a very subtle bunch.
Members of New York area burglary crew liked to post photos of stolen cars and money on various social media outlets, officials said--often within minutes of committing the crimes.
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They would also hit neighborhoods with several car dealerships and cell phone stores, many times knocking over several businesses in one night.
With the auto dealerships, they would smash the large windows at the front of the building, find the boxes containing key fobs, and then plow the vehicles they were able to start right through the shattered windows.
The crew, which is allegedly responsible of over 200 burglaries of car dealerships, cellular phone stores, and ATM businesses located in the Lower Hudson Valley, New York City, and on Long Island, also liked to wait for the police to respond to a burglary alarm, and then engage in high-speed chases from the crime scene.
Crew Left 'a Trail of Broken Glass'
These actions put people in danger, officials said, and prompted police to dub their investigation "Operation Redline," a reference to the redline on speedometers and the high speeds the burglars hit as they fled crime scenes.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Aug. 4 the convictions of six members of the crew, who were charged with allegedly swiping more than $3 million worth of cars, cellular phones, merchandise, and cash.
The announcement followed a 13-month investigation.
"These burglars left a trail of broken glass, smashed businesses, and dangerous high-speed chases in their wake," James said in a statement. "Our communities are safer now that these six individuals have been brought to justice.”
The convictions of the crew, which stole at least 54 vehicles, underscores the ongoing surge of car thefts in America.
Motor vehicle thefts continued their upward trend through the first half of 2023, the Council on Criminal Justice reported last month. There were 33.5% more motor vehicle thefts from January through June 2023 compared with the first half of 2022.
The council said that data indicated levels of nearly all offenses are lower, or have changed little, in the first half of the year compared with 2022, "the most notable exception is the large increase in motor vehicle theft."
The number of vehicle thefts from January to June 2023 was 104.3% higher than in the first half of 2019, the year before the pandemic and protests over police violence, the council said.
TikTok Trend Could be a Factor
The group said that much of the car theft increase could be the result of thefts of Kia and Hyundai, which have been the subject of a TikTok trend that shows users how to hotwire the cars and challenges them to do it.
Most Kia and Hyundai vehicles manufactured between 2015 and 2019 lack a standard electronic immobilizer which prevents thieves from bypassing a car’s ignition.
New York City officials said they would give out 500 free Apple (AAPL) -) AirTags to residents to combat car thefts.
Earlier this year, State Farm and Progressive Insurance companies said they would stop writing policies in some states for some Kia and Hyundai models between 2015-2021 because they were too easy to break into and steal.
In May, Kia and Hyundai agreed to a class-action lawsuit settlement worth about $200 million over claims that many of the Korean automakers' cars are far too vulnerable to theft.
Still, the council noted that car theft rates were already trending upward before these vehicles became popular targets.
"The recent uptick in crimes committed to acquire money or property could reflect a return to normal living conditions and daily routines," the council said. "Another factor may be the emergence of new, destabilizing economic conditions."
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