Queens tops car theft list

From the NY Post:

If you're heading into Queens, maybe it's better to leave the car behind.

An average of eight cars a day get snatched off the streets of the borough's leafy neighborhoods -- making it the auto-theft capital of the Big Apple.

And the number of cars disappearing in the borough has been steadily climbing.

So far this year, 3,037 cars have been stolen, an increase of 9.2 percent since last year, according to NYPD Compstat figures released Nov. 9.

The dismal borough stats represent 34 percent of the total number of vehicles stolen citywide.

When hunting for vehicles, goons are most likely to target Honda Civics and Accords, the top two cars stolen in the city, records show.

The next three vehicle makes most likely to be stolen are the Nissan Maxima, Toyota Camry and Ford Econoline van, according to the NYPD.

When crooks don't take an entire car, they'll take its wheels and rims, authorities said. Lately, there have been reports of several car-stripping incidents in Astoria and Bayside.

Police said there isn't a ring linked to any of the thefts and many of the incidents appear to be the work of small-time criminals.

In an effort to combat the spree, NYPD has beefed up its night patrols, and cops are now stopping tow trucks to check whether they are legitimately hauling off vehicles, according to an NYPD spokesperson.