Major cities across the US have observed carjackings spike by up to 510 per cent in a ‘disturbing’ trend some are attributing to lax punishment and a shift in driving habits.
In Chicago, 1,849 carjackings were reported last year – a 510 per cent increase from the 303 vehicular hijackings in 2014, according to city data. Last year’s figure represents a 30 per cent increase from the 1,413 cases reported in 2020.
Meantime, New York City has seen carjacking rising by more than 350 per cent in the past three years, to 510 in 2021. Comparatively, there were 328 cases in 2020, 132 in 2019, and 112 cases in 2018, CNN reported.
An NYPD opined to the New York Post: ‘New York has become carjack city, Between the guns and the low-risk of stealing cars, we’ve seen this explosion in carjackings.’
Other cities experiencing a surge in cases include Philadelphia, which reported 750 carjackings last year, a 34 per cent year-over-year increase, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in an online statement.
The onslaught of violence happening in Philadelphia is entirely unacceptable and we remain committed to stemming these trends,’ Outlaw said.
‘One of the more disturbing trends that we have seen in Philadelphia is the startling increase in the number of carjackings – the taking of a vehicle by force or fear – that have been experienced over the past two years.’