By West Side Rag
A car parked on the Upper West Side appears to have had its tires and wheels swiped at some point between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
“Some unfortunate person had the shells stolen from their car last night,” John O’Brien emailed to West Side Rag, with an accompanying photo of the vehicle.
The car was parked on West 79th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.
NYPD did not have a police report on file as of Wednesday morning, but the incident comes as the issue of cars having their tires and wheels stolen has received recent attention on Upper West Side social media pages.
“I overheard a lady while in the grocery store on West 89th Street — her Honda was parked between Columbus and Central Park West, all four tires were stripped from her car,” a person wrote Tuesday on the Upper West Side Nextdoor page.
Another person in the comment section of that post mentioned that the same thing had happened recently to their car near 114th Street and Riverside Drive. The car in that case was also left on milk crates, according to the commenter.
In terms of crime data, the 20th and 24th precincts show no meaningful increase or decrease in grand larceny auto cases from their consistently low levels, but we reached out to the police to see if there has been any local increase in tires being stolen from parked cars in the neighborhood.
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Hardly a new crime. Has no one heard of hub locks? Yes, I realize those can be taken off with a pair of vise grips, but that’s much slower than using a cordless impact wrench.
I admit to being surprised at this theft just to the east of a very busy corner — would have expected it to occur on a quieter block. Also the thieves have to have a buyer or use for these wheels and tires, then there’s transport.
HONDA’s are the number one on the parts list, the most wanted vehicle parts in America. They will not steal the vehicle but they will steal the parts: Wheels, Hood, Doors, Lights are all worth more then the vehicle it self, Do yourself a favor…Don’t buy the Honda’s even though they’re so cheap on the market. This brand caters too poor and middle class families. That is why their parts are so valuable because there so many of them on the streets and this group of people who buy’s this brand are always getting into accidents. Every body knows this even the owners of these vehicles do.
It’s actually a gang of rogue morticians who are doing this. You know, the “Honda Takers”.
“[T]his group of people who buy’s this brand are always getting into accidents.”
You mean “poor and middle class families?” So wealthier people don’t get into accidents? What a fascinating assumption. I’d love to see what kind of data you can come up with to back that statement.
Typical UWS attitude.
“Cheap on the market”? “… caters too [sic] poor and middle class families”?
You might be thinking of a different car company. Hondas have great resale value. The Passport, their midsize SUV, starts at close to $50k out the door and gets close to $70k out the door for the top level trims. How many poor families are spending that on a vehicle? Yes, Hondas are a theft target, but that’s because they’re consistently among the best-selling vehicles in their market segment, so there’s always a strong demand for repair parts.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=ed95240f1b490455&hl=en-us&q=what+are+the+most+common+cars+that+tires+would+be+stolen+off&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj5jqm-8q2LAxUrGVkFHaTcB6YQBSgAegQIChAB&biw=784&bih=1323&dpr=3
Yes, Hondas are a theft target due to their popularity; I acknowledged that. I challenged your assertions that they are “cheap on the market” and that Honda caters to “poor people”, both of which are patently untrue.
That’s a Toyota Rav4. Equally common and popular – but alas, not a Honda.
Yes your right. I was giving an example due to the woman on Columbus and Central Park West, Since you mentioned the Toyota Rav4 also in the same category as the Honda…are the Honda Accord, Camry, Hyundai Sonata, Dodge Pickup’s, Kia Optima, Honda Civic, Corolla, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Elantra and the Nissan Altima. All are vulnerable to Parts Theft then Vehicle Thefts (parts are worth more than the vehicle) and are listed as the top 10 Most Victimized Vehicles in the urban cities and very hard to be insured if not garaged.
…your right to what?
I saw a similar situation two weeks ago on Riverside and 87th.
Mercedes SUV, no wheels, 4 milk crates, wheel bolts in the gutter.
The police had arrived by 8:30am and were documenting the situation.
If traveling around with milk crates, tools and eventually wheels, no doubt there is a support vehicle that should be on security cameras.
This also happened in Dec on Riverside Blvd and 71st Street.
reminds one, it does, of the scene in one of a 1970’s period NYC movie, Afraid I couldn’t find a screen grab online
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_and_Disorder_(1974_film)
I saw the same thing on W.120th Street & Broadway. It is not a common sight not in the past 29 years in NYC. There has to be an increase of these occurrences.
Same thing earlier this week on West 90 close to CPW
Yes, I saw this too! I was on my way to work when I noticed the car and the police taking a report at around 8:30am.
This has happened a bunch of times near the monument on Riverside and 87. Easy pickings!
Wow – sounds like a common thing per the comments. Thanks for mentioning locations to watch out for. The milk crates as key accessories to this tire-swipe MO just give it such an air of practicality …my sympathies to the folks finding their vehicles like this.
two cars on Broadway and 122nd street same thing in the matter of days- and this area has 24 columbia security driving around so….
“it was worse in the 70s”
The sad thing is that this is just normalized.
If that were true there wouldn’t be a story like this here.
It’s normalized, to me, in the sense that people don’t alter their public discourse or voting patterns despite the symbolic return of cars without wheels, something that should painfully remind older folks of ugly time 30-50 years ago.
A few years ago the catalytic converter was stolen from my 2008 Honda CRV on Riverside and 111th. Is that no longer a thing?
The same exact thing happened to my boss’ rental car on 83rd and West End back in August. Milk crates included. It was a Toyota Highlander. A doorman across the street did witness it but he said they guys were so fast (like a formula 1 pit crew) that by the time he called the police they were long gone.
Definitely seems like this is happening more frequently. Scary!
They’re not just stealing tires. They took the wheels! If you’re going to report something, at least use the correct terminology.
The replacement is very involved and costly. How do you even begin to load a wheelless car onto a flatbed to transport it to a garage for replacement?
Excellent point. Opened the eyes of this clueless reader. Wheels – key car parts to steal from common models. Require bolts. So, not just tires. Um, thanks. And thanks also to the commenter who passed on the analogy to an F1 pit crew with milk crates.
I wonder if they took the lug nuts or reinstalled them. Are they part of the definition of ‘wheels’? With such a sassy post, I’m hopeful for a quick clarification.
Might be easier to bring new rims/tires to car ?
Thieves know that there will be no consequnces.
On the plus side, you no longer see the rampant theft of car radios, which was common 30 or so years ago when every other parked car had a hand-written “no radio” sign in its window.
Maybe that’s why our fearless car manufacturers make cars without radios now lol…before this gets commented on yes it’s intended to be a (bad) joke
2 weeks ago this happened on West 74 and CPW.
Where are the cops and cameras on the UWS?
Wednesday morning I was shocked to witness that the same thing happened on Amsterdam and 122nd Street.
Aren’t there cameras everywhere? Please post pics of these perpetrators
Who exactly would want stolen tires,.. is there a market? Apparently.
If you see someone at dusk night walking with plastic empty crates (2-4) take a pic you might see your next potential tire thief.
Reminds me of 1979, on the UES, when my mom pointed out to my brother and I are car parked in front of the playground at PS 198. It was up in cynderblocks and had been stripped bare.
I meant to say – my brother and I that our car….
I mean, wouldn’t it have been easier to just steal the entire car? Maybe they didn’t want to risk the congestion-pricing and tunnel tolls on the way to Jersey.
Nice photo. Not too much sympathy here. I got hit by a car while bicycling. Just tapped really, but the collision resulted in a cracked tooth and other issues that allowed me to walk away but end up costing at least $7K for dental and medical, and untold lost time in hospitals and dental chairs.
I have a 2024 Honda CRV which I bought out about in Oct 2023 out of necessity.
Exactly one day after in emissions sticker expired, I got a ticket
for $65, appealed it twice and lost both times.
Who are the real thiefs, The NYC Department of Finance.
Just Google their Yelp reviews.
Thank you and have a GREAT day!