16 people indicted for allegedly stealing $1M worth of cars and parts in NYC auto-theft ring
BEDFORD PARK, The Bronx (WABC) -- More than a dozen people were indicted for their alleged involvement in an auto theft ring in New York City.
"They allegedly worked fast like a race car pit crew in the dead of night. When I saw some of this, it was like, you're looking at the "F1" movie," Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said.
Prosecutors say surveillance video shows a three-person team of masked thieves equipped with power tools, a car jack and milk crates stripping cars of tires, rims and catalytic converters with precision within minutes.
"Then in the morning, people rushed out of the door to drive to school or to work or both, only to find the frame of their car resting on milk crates," Clark said.
On Thursday morning, Clark and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced the indictment of 16 people, accused of stealing $1.2 million in car parts.
"This was a large, well-organized, gang-affiliated crew of people who made it their job literally every night to go out and steal cars and car parts," Tisch said.
"These defendants allegedly stole car parts from almost every precinct in the Bronx, as well as in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens," Clark said.
Prosecutors say there are more than 205 victims in a year-long investigation that began back in July 2024, when the NYD Auto Crime Division noticed a dramatic jump in reports for stolen tires and rims, but not for high end cars. The victims drove Honda and Toyota SUV's and sedans
"The suspects chose these parts because they'd be the easiest to sell within a larger marketplace," Tisch said. "It was a simple supply and demand designed to make the most money from the most available product."
Surveillance video shows the suspects pulling up to a home next to a fire station in Bedford Park. They quickly jack up a black SUV, remove the tires and rims, roll them into the trunk of their car and speed off.
"They would steal a car, then use that car to drive around the city, stealing parts off of other cars," Tisch said. "And if their stolen vehicle was recovered by police, they simply took another one and kept going."
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