Five Hundred AirTags Being Distributed by NYC to Reduce Auto Theft

By Hamodia Staff

Mayor Eric Adams visited the Castle Hill Library located in the 43rd Precinct in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx on Sunday to announce that New York City will give out 500 free Apple AirTags to residents as part of an effort to eliminate the rampant car thefts in that neighborhood.

The Association for a Better New York has donated 500 of these Apple AirTags to the NYPD to combat car robberies.

“The aggravated number of grand larceny autos continues to drive up crime in our city,” said Adams. “This simple device, this simple AirTag, hidden in a car, in a location that a person is not aware of, is an excellent tracking device. It’s easy to monitor,” Adams said.

Auto thefts spiked to 4,492 through April 23 this year compared to 3,966 over the same period last year — a more than 13% increase. The mayor said that there have been 207 grand larceny auto crimes in that Bronx precinct alone.

According to the mayor, Hyundais and Kias are specifically being targeted because of a social media post that made thieves aware of a security flaw in the vehicle, allowing them to be stolen using a USB cable. So far, 966 Hyundais and Kias have been reported stolen this year.

“The 21st century calls for 21st century policing,” NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, tweeted. “AirTags in your car will help us recover your vehicle if it’s stolen. We’ll use our drones, our StarChase technology & good old fashion police work to safely recover your stolen car.”