“Chances are better than average that if you are the happy owner of a new Mercedes 450, a Cadillac Seville, a Lincoln Continental, or the very latest in low-slung Jaguars, your automobile will be stolen soon.” Fred Ferretti NYT 2/14/77* A million cars are stolen in the United States each year-10 percent of them, valued at $163 million – in New York City. Every day 200 to 300 cars are stolen in the city. Fewer than half of these are recovered. New Yorkers are famous for commuting primarily by public transportation while the rest of the country commutes primarily by car. Here’s another reason why. Even if you prefer to drive you won’t be doing it for long. Your car will be stolen. And then there are those who can make a car disappear by request. Perhaps the owner of a new car has an accident. Rather than go through an insurance claim procedure – hire someone to drive the car into the East River, a prime dumping area. Sergeant Martorano estimates that as many as 200 cars are beneath the Queensboro Bridge. The Auto Squad suggest that “cars be locked and keys removed.”
excerpt from NYT 4/6/77
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment