Queens Gang Used Holes in Fences, Test Drives to Steal SUVs

Queens DA Richard Brown announced a major bust yesterday of a ring of car thieves who were casually driving SUVs off of dealership lots. The nine suspects arrested in "Operation Lockbox" hit a total of nine different dealerships around Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island where they made off with over $400,000 in Lincolns, BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes.

Brown says that the group "leisurely window-shopped" at dealerships, primarily Recon Motors in Whitestone. The operation there was as simple as using wire cutters to create a hole in the lot's fence and picking a car farthest away from the security booth. With no security cameras, they were able to drive off without a hitch. At another dealership, the thieves simply took test drives of cars they were interested in and stole the dealer's set of keys, only to return after hours. An NYPD Deputy Inspector told the News, "They saw a weakness and they exploited it."

The nine suspects were being held with bail as much as $100,000 for their accused leader, Melvin Pickney. One of the gang was a middle school assistant principal in a city school. 54-year-old Lisle Jackson had worked in the schools for over twelve years and has already been reassigned from his position at MS 61 in Brooklyn.