I live on 27th street. That car was on cinder blocks for three days. You would think the cops would have noticed? My immediate neighborhood is also where the Hell's Angel was shot in the face 5 times, and the two homeless people killed someone in Astoria Park in a botched robbery. Another guy on whyleaveastoria.com said he was mugged by three guys at 11pm on a crowded street, they pistol whipped him and jumped into a waiting van and drove away. The neighborhood is going downhill, and fast. The lack of police presence is noticeable and the criminals are taking advantage. I'm not sure of the budget cuts to the 114th precinct, but they must be significant.

Remember that episode of The Odd Couple when felix and oscar go halfsies on a car? still applies today.

My car was stolen about 9 months ago in Astoria from in front of my home. I actually caught the whole thing on a security camera. I thought "the police are going to want to see this." Well it took 3 whole weeks for a detective to call and ask about the video and the car. At that time I had overwritten the video assuming no one was interested aside from the insurance company, who came two days later to view the video.

The officer from the 114th told me that my Acura was probably on its way to Columbia, and that I didn't want it back anyway. He said "who knows what they did to it."

It is seems to me that the NYPD assumes that citizens will be compensated by their insurance companies and therefore is not that big of a deal.

I could only imagine that the people with the ability to steal a car with modern technology and a serious security system are hardened criminals. They are also connected to a network of thieves that are unloading potentially millions of dollars worth of cars. That seems like something to look into.

And to the first comment. If I lost my job the first thing on my mind wouldn't be lets go steal some cars or burglarize someones home. They are criminals. that is a piss poor excuse for what is going on. And by your logic, anything is free game, let's start robbing old ladies.

It's a shame you shot the whole thing with a camera instead of a shotgun.

I live in Astoria...we just had my wife's wedding rings stolen by our building's exterminator.

I tend to think the first comment on this thread is closer to the truth than anything. People start to feel a little more desperate and they start doing desperate things.

I live in Astoria too and my landlord won't let the exterminator in unless someone's home, thank goodness.

Ran is probably a nice dude but the guy got here a few years ago and he is somehow the rep for Astoria as a neighborhood. Last I checked Astoria is a part of NYC and not a shiny suburb. S#!^ happens in a neighborhood of 50,000+ people. Why not go to someone with some experience in the area and not one of the more prominent members of the yuppie/hipster influx?

Is this dude kidding? Hasn't seen this since the 70s? I wasn't even alive in the 70s, and I've seen cars obviously broken into in Manhattan, including one on blocks. I've also seen cars and motorcycles that have been set on fire and lay there in a smoking pile of melted rubber. And roughly a million cars with smashed windows around my apartment courtesy of the FLIDs who frequent the bars nearby.

I saw a Nissan 370Z on 94th street last month sitting on nothing but its brake rotors. The bastards couldn't even bother with cinder blocks.

Owning a car in the city is just a headache especially when you don't have a garage/driveway and have to park it on the street.

Unfortunately for some people a car is needed.

I don't necessarily think it's a lack of police, i think it's a lack of jobs, people are going to extremes to make ends meet.