Gottheimer announces new action to combat spike in car thefts, carjackings
National Auto Theft Task Force to coordinate federal, state, local law enforcement efforts
NEW JERSEY — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) Tuesday announced federal action to combat the spike in car thefts and violent carjacking in North Jersey, the tristate area, and nationwide.
Nationally, auto thefts increased 16.5% in 2021. In New Jersey, there were more than 14,000 vehicles reported stolen in 2021 — a 22% increase from 2020. As of May this year, there was a 37% increase in auto thefts in New Jersey compared to May of last year.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that, as of 2020, thousands of vehicles were stolen or carjacked across the tristate area to be illegally exported to Africa from the U.S. through terminals located in and around the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Federal action Gottheimer is pushing for includes:
- A National Auto Theft Task Force — led by the Administration to coordinate federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts focused on combating interstate and international carjacking and auto theft.
- Immediately increasing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) security at ports — utilizing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other DHS agencies to strengthen law enforcement presence and improve inspections at ports to intercept more stolen cars before they are loaded into containers and shipped overseas.
- Tracking proceeds of stolen vehicles to take down interstate & international criminal rings — led by the Treasury and Justice Departments, along with the FBI, to track the proceeds of stolen vehicles when they land overseas, to examine if funds are financing drug trafficking, gangs, or terrorism, and to target heads of the car theft rings.
- Increasing prosecution by the United States Attorney’s Office of car theft and carjacking crimes — to further crack down on interstate and international car theft rings.
- Congressional hearing from the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security — to examine the role of DHS in responding to and investigating car theft at ports.
- Congressional hearing from the House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy — to examine the possible national security impacts of interstate and international car theft rings, and their use of the proceeds from car thefts.
“Every other week, we read about yet another carjacking or stolen car literally taken out of someone’s driveway as they slept or, brazenly, in broad daylight. Then, these cars are chopped up for parts or they pull into the Port of Newark where they are put into a container, then on a ship, and sent overseas,” Gottheimer said. “Our local police chiefs have asked that we do everything we can at the federal level, as they put it, to cut off the head of the snake — and the head of the snake is at the ports.”
“We can’t just let criminals steal cars and drive them right out of the country. We need to crack down and cut the engine on carjacking and car theft,” Gottheimer said.
