DMV Increasingly Recovers Stolen Vehicles

By Yehudit Garmaise

Investigators who work for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) have taken strides in recovering both stolen cars, the number of which has spiked a staggering 191% since 2019.

The surging car thefts in NYC have been attributed to the many social media videos that have gone viral by providing visual instructions on how to steal particular models of cars, such as Kia and Hyundai. 

Alarmingly, teenagers as young as 13 and going up to young adults aged 24 are the age group that is most often arrested for car thefts, law enforcement agencies report.

The car-stealing teenagers often work with “organized groups or crews.”

To staunch the trend of car thievery among young adults, Gov. Hochul directed $5 million to “enhance youth justice alternatives and diversion programming.” In addition, Hochul and the DMV sent letters to provide precautionary tools to New Yorkers who own cars that hold higher risks of theft.

NYPD data show that auto theft in NYC has been climbing steadily since 2019 when only 5,430 were stolen. 

In 2020, the number cars swiped in NYC rose to 9,037, in 2021 to 10,415, and in 2022, to 13,749, before hitting 15,802 last year.

In 2023, DMV state investigators recovered 286 stolen vehicles valued at nearly $8.6 million and an additional $152,000 in stolen auto parts. 

Of the 286 vehicles recovered statewide, 142 of the retrieved cars were taken from New York City.

After recovering $7.3 million worth of stolen cars in 2022, and recovering only $5.2 million worth of stolen autos in 2021, DMV investigators last year considerably increased their success rates of finding stolen cars and stolen car parts. 

The 286 recovered stolen cars in 2023, however, doesn’t seem like much, considering that last year, 15,802 drivers returned to their cars last year to find they were nowhere to be found.

To better protect New Yorkers from car theft,  New York State Police are ramping up enforcement in high-theft areas.

The governor also said she will provide federal funds for district attorneys to prosecute the outsize number of car-theft cases.

Boro Parkers can report stolen vehicles to state police here or to Precinct 66. In addition. Information about stolen and recovered cars is posted on the DMV website.