Correction appended
Thieves have been targeting cars kept in Riverdale garages, leading 50th Precinct commander Capt. Kevin Burke to issue a memo to officers on Monday documenting seven grand larcenies that occurred from February to June, mostly inside parking garages.
Most recently, rims and tires worth $4,800 were taken on June 8 from a car inside a garage at 500 West 235th St.; the day before, the memo notes that rims and tires worth $1,200 were stolen from a car inside a garage at 3515 Henry Hudson Parkway.
On June 2, electronics and medical supplies were taken from a car parked on the street, following two previous incidents on March 21, inside garages at 3585 Greystone Ave. — where electronics and medical supplies were stolen — and 3611 Henry Hudson Parkway, where tires and rims totaling $4,500 were taken.
The Riverdale Press was alerted to the trend when Annette Karan called to say her car was raided for its tires on June 7. She said she and her husband, Dr. Val Karan, parked their 2011 gray Toyota Avalon around 10 p.m. in their building’s garage.
She later said the police report incorrectly documented the amount of damage caused to her car.
“When we woke up this morning to go to work at 8:30, all the tires of the car were stolen, including the lug nuts,” she said, adding that they were trying to find a way to get the car into a mechanic but were struggling to make it mobile.
Ms. Karan said the building’s security cameras were not working properly and that she wanted to warn her neighbors about the possibility of being victimized even inside a seemingly secure garage.
“I’m alerting The Riverdale Press because I want the neighborhood to be aware of this problem,” she sad.
According to Capt. Kevin Burke there were 10 tire and rim thefts so far this year, down from 25 last year.
A previous version of this story confused the identities of Annette Karan and her husband Dr. Van Karan.
