Gottheimer said at Port Newark after a meeting with U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection officials that about 1,176 vehicles were reported stolen in January 2023. This is a little less than the 1,517 vehicles that were reported stolen in January 2022.<\/p>\n
During Operation Terminus at the Ports of New York and Newark, 23 stolen cars worth $1.3 million were found in shipping containers that were going to Africa. This was the most recent bust for car theft. When the agents opened the boxes, they saw that the cars were hidden behind mattresses and stacked on top of each other. Also, they found weapons.<\/p>\n
Gottheimer said on Wednesday at Port Newark, where he was surrounded by police from Bergen and Hudson counties and the Port Authority, that he wants the federal government to give him more money to do more successful things like Operation Terminus.<\/p>\n
He also said that a National Joint Auto Theft Task Force would help with investigations.<\/p>\n
He said that some steps have already been taken, such as Homeland Security Investigations setting up a new Auto Export Crimes Task Force at Port Newark, using technology to find containers with stolen cars in them, and sharing information between agencies.<\/p>\n
Gottheimer said, “The number of car thefts in Jersey has gone down in recent months because of some of the things we just heard about, the great work of local, county, state, and federal law enforcement, and our efforts to bring attention to the problem.” “The bad news is that the numbers are still way too high,” she said.<\/p>\n
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Robert Chamberlain, the police chief of Tenafly and president of the Bergen Police Chiefs Association, said that drivers should lock their cars and take off the key fobs to make it harder for thieves to steal cars.<\/p>\n
“This is a multi-pronged attack, and local law enforcement is trying to stop it. Chamberlain said that they would teach people to be more responsible by teaching them to lock their cars and take their key fobs. “You have to help stop it. We have to make it look bad, or they’ll keep coming back.”<\/p>\n
Officials from Customs and Border Patrol said that thousands of stolen or carjacked vehicles from the tri-state area are being sent illegally to Africa through terminals in and around the Port of New York and New Jersey.<\/p>\n
The State Police say that 14,320 cars were stolen in New Jersey last year. Officials say that car theft is one of the hardest crimes for police to solve, since less than 7% of stolen car cases end in an arrest.<\/p>\n
Gottheimer said that more national resources are needed to go after organized car theft rings. He also said that the “head of the snake” is at ports around the world, especially on the west coast of Africa.<\/p>\n
“We will never really be able to shut down this huge criminal ring until we cut off the head of the snake,” he said. “We need more bandwidth, more X-ray machines, and more CBP and DHS workers at our ports.”<\/p>\n
Read More:<\/strong><\/p>\n Reform of New Jersey\u00a0 Troubled Police Force Won Happen Overnight, Says the Attorney General.<\/a><\/p>\n Murphy Executive Order Designates New Jersey as a Safe Haven for Gender-affirming Care.<\/a><\/p>\n