Nothing is safe, anymore—not your wheels, not your windows, not your sense of happiness, and certainly not your expensive vehicle’s mirrors. And, while that could be the intro to a trailer for a terribly boring movie, it’s real: People are, apparently, stealing fancy side mirrors in New York City to resell them.
That’s according to a New York Post story shared by Carscoops on Monday, which said people have been targeting expensive car mirrors in Manhattan overnight to steal and likely resell them for decent amounts of money. The New York Post reported that there were 19 mirror thefts in eight weeks between March 1 and April 26, according to NYPD, with four stolen on the same day: April 19.
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The thefts pay big if successful, according to the New York Post:
The thieves fancy makes like Audi, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Lexus and BMW, whose newer models sport side-view mirrors with built-in cameras that are valued between $1,500 and $2,000.
“This is a local pattern in Manhattan North and does not appear to be a citywide condition,” an NYPD spokesman told The Post, adding the thieves “remove both side-view mirrors from luxury automobiles. It is likely the mirrors are being stolen in order to re-sell them.”
“They’re taking these mirrors with the cameras on the overnight, but now the spotlight is on them,” said a police source.
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An NYPD spokesperson told the New York Post that the theft pattern is under investigation, and that additional officers are out overnight because of it.
But the wildest part of the story wasn’t that side mirrors are the weird, new theft targets as a result of more safety technology in cars—it was this quote, emphasis ours:
“People tend to ignore car alarms nowadays, but if you hear one going off in the middle of the night, take a look, and if you see something suspicious, call 911, ” advised Deputy Inspector Timothy Malin, the precinct commander.
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People are getting stuff stolen off of their cars, while the rest of us—maybe even the owners—ignore the annoying alarms. We are, truly, a great species.
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