Several cars had their windows smashed in recent days in the neighborhood, with readers pointing out break-ins in the West 80s and 90s.
The car with the smashed window above was parked on 89th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam. Our tipster said it was “the third time I’ve seen a busted window on my block” since September.
Another reader found his car window had been bashed in on 92nd and Riverside Drive on Monday morning, along with three others on the block (pictures below).
“Please ask your readers to keep their eyes open for any other break-ins and to please call 911,” he wrote. “I gather some individuals are not reporting it to the police since they believe that their insurance rates will increase but by not reporting it, our local precinct is not aware of the problem.”
Let’s predict some responses from my fellow Upper West Siders:
1. Crime is going down-this story is false and the photos are from another country.Nothing to worry about, folks.
2. Well, at least they were not murdered by guns, so who cares?
3. If we just would ban all guns, then no one would break into cars
4. You should not own a car in the city. If you do, this is the price you must pay.
5. People who look like they just broke a window or may break a window should not be stopped and questioned by NYPD-it would be a violation of their civil rights.
6. Did I mention that crime is going down on the UWS?
@Ben David you forgot one..
#7. It’s Trumps fault. IMPEACH!
Funny! (Or tragic.)
I prefer to blame de Blasio for everything.
By the way, if you’re restricting your proposal to only individuals carrying sledgehammers, I apologize for my generalization. But where I come from, no matter who you are or what you look like, stopping is either at random (every third person, for example) or it’s discriminatory. If you’re fine with that, so be it.
Yup, as usual Ben David, you are one of the few voices of reason when it comes to these issues. It is really a sorry state to see our city declining like this. Someone mentioned in a different thread that they are a hard leaning liberal — I am too — and that with the way things are going they are considering voting Democrat for national elections and Republican for local elections…I may be swayed to do the same. Someone in charge needs to start taking these things seriously or we will be the next Chicago/New Jack City.
Best thing I’ve read on here. Couldn’t be more true
I will predict some comments –
OMG Crime is out of control!! I don’t feel safe!! The mayor is to blame! And the libs! AhhhhhAAAHHH! UWS is a war zone and no one will admit it!
“rollseys”
You’re comments are on point! I can’t wait to hear the responses now.
The fact is, statistics can be massaged a number of ways, so no matter what the “numbers” say, I think it’s fair to say that we all see (or at least those of us with our eyes open) that our neighborhood is becoming less safe and more prone to crime.
First name…. and also a last name. We should be friends. I have so few.
>> “I gather some individuals are not reporting it to the police since they believe that their insurance rates will increase but by not reporting it, our local precinct is not aware of the problem.” <<
Car owners do that? How selfish. Also, seems like insurance fraud.
Sid, you obviously don’t own a car…. Owners don’t report it to their insurance companies because most likely they have a $500 deductible to repair it, and you can probably replace the window for less than that if you do it privately. So why would you go through, or report to, insurance? Reports of any kind of damage generally lead to increased rates. But one should report this stuff to the police, so they can get realistic stats on what’s going on. I remember the bad old days when nightly on nearly every block there was a car with its window smashed and the radio gone. This is disturbing – to see that trend of vandalism returning. I’ve had a car stolen (a 10 year old Toyota), and many break-ins and windows smashed over the years… but not recently. And I don’t think it has anything to do with whoever is Mayor. Plenty of crap happened under Bloomberg and Giuliani. Back in the 80’s there was a much harder drug problem, and lots of mentally ill people released to the UWS SROs. Things have gotten a lot better, so why the uptick in vandalism?
The reality is that nearly all crimes are down from last year. HOWEVER, there are some specific crimes on the rise that are concerning and contribute perhaps to a greater atmosphere of unease. Looking at the crime from January through October of this year compared to last year:
2019 in the 24th precinct (86th Street to 110th) has seen a 20% increase in robberies and an 18% increase in felony assaults.
Ok, I’ll play. My guess is that this the outcome of the unending wave of UWS homelessness.
No garden- variety criminal is going to stand there and bash out the entire square of a window. A homeless person doesn’t really care how long the job takes, because he or she doesn’t really care about getting caught or arrested either. Another reason you’ll see 4 or more windows busted out nearby.
Homeless crime is still crime of course – but shouldn’t be seen as the source of a spiking crime wave (if indeed statistics back up such a claim).
My car was broken into earlier this year as it was parked on Riverside and 88th. All they stole was the airbag from the steering wheel. I reported it to the police and they said that there was a rash of these as the bag is the most valuable part of a car to steal and the takata airbag shortage made this into big business.
I guess there is a whole other world out there that I just know nothing about. I am sorry about your car.
My car was hit badly on riverside dr and 101! No note or witness.
Let’s just all keep an eye out! The police did say they have gotten a lot of calls for tires missing especially for Honda’s!
Stay safe.
Let’s play the game and repeat the obvious here: we need police policing the streets, not hidden inside the precinct, with 9 cars parked all around it (yes I’m talking about the 20th in this case – every day, almost at any time, you are guaranteed to find these patrol cars there, beautifully resting, unused). Perps appreciate the vacuum in policing and thrive – why wouldn’t they? The fear of being caught must be quite low these days, especially so here on the UWS
The 3rd image is of my car. I went to move it today (it had been parked there on Sunday) and noticed a black bag on the passenger window. when i got closer i saw that my window was smashed with glass all over the passenger seat. The car was on riverside and 92nd. I’ve parked on the street for 15yrs and this is the first time i’ve been broken into. I consider myself very lucky…Nothing of value is ever kept in the car except for a $25 apple usb iphone cable which was not taken..?
On a brighter note. a VERY kind stranger must have seen the broken window, went home, got tape and a garbage bag and tapped my window. If you are that person, and you’re reading this, thank you!!!!
And I am sure the community board will use this as further reason to get rid of free parking
i have lived in this area long enough to remember when car break-ins were daily occurrences…when cars started having high-end audio equipment that was operable and marketable…the first solution was devices that were designed to be removed by the owner. i think the ultimate solution is that the equipment was NOT operable when forcibly removed…thus not more market.
i wonder whether homeless folks have the wherewithal to profit from theft of airbags.
of course, it would be nice if it were possible to leave items of whatever value in a car, in plain view and to expect to find it there later. but until that great day comes,it wil help to remember to take said property out of the car.
My car was broken into September 2019 on 84th between Columbus and Amsterdam. Many items were stolen from my car and the police did not want to find the criminal because then they would need to send them to prison due to the value of the stolen items and didn’t look for the guy. I gave them a list of all the camera which directly faced my car and none of them were checked. The police told me that they can’t possibly be on every street corner at all times. I was so disappointed in the entire process and it gave me a new perspective on how our system works.
I have the same story 🙁 I was told that the person probably just wanted a warm place to sleep for the night and also, it wouldn’t be worth the effort to get camera footage, since all the cameras were on private residences! But, as our lovely local precinct keeps reminding us, nope, crime is NOT going up in this area, right?
We’re slipping back to the ‘80s. Soon you will see signs in car windows saying all valuables have been removed.
My new Honda CRV (3300 miles) was stolen in mid September from the west side of Riverside Drive at 94th Street. This were definitely pros as there was no broken glass. Never recovered.
Folks,
Doesn’t take a genius to see there is a theme here. Parking on RSD has always been a crapshoot. No doormen, no foot traffic. Not as well lit.
You are taking a chance if you park there.
Make a bike lane both sides of RSD & ban parking. No more car thefts.
It’s happening up near Columbia. My car was broken into Mon night at RSD at 113th Southbound. Took my owner’s manual, 2 bars of chocolate in the glove compartment and a charger! Police 26th prct were lovely and even sent a forensics team. This was astonishing but they said there was a huge up tick in breakins.
This is not fun. With the attacks by teens, the break-ins, robberies and the window smashing it’s starting to feel like the 70s.
The 70s was a very scary time in the neighborhood. I hope we are not heading in that direction.
So I’m a bit confused by all of this. I have never been a car owner in NYC (Thank God!) But I have in Chicago, and Boston. I had my car broken into in both cities. I was also held up at gunpoint in Boston on the first block of Marlborough street! (fyi as nice or nicer a neighborhood as UWS).
I never blamed the mayor or police for any of that. You live in a city and stuff happens. Take your valuables out of your car and use a “club” device on the wheel. Start being smarter and accountable for your own stuff and personal safety! Or just get rid of your damn car!
Clay, seems like you accepted high crime as a way of life. You’re the ideal DeBlasio voter.
Welcome to the big A.
This reminds me of…’it’s Christmas time in the city.’ Last year I had several wrapped gifts in shopping bags ready to be dropped off at the children’s wing of a hospital (all gifts purchased and wrapped by child volunteers), and in the time it took me to go into the lobby to let them know I’d arrived someone had broken the window and taken everything. Unfortunately this is how some people go ‘shopping.’
Sounds like a scene from “Law & Disorder,” a great forgotten movie from the 70s.
Yes, Carroll O’Connor & Ernest Borgnine! I saw that film and a year later I still moved here. Maybe it’s not so funny now, lol. ; )