Phil Murphy’s new legislation purportedly designed to combat a spate of auto thefts is, at best, Save Jerseyans, a day late and a dollar short.
Thousands of cars were boosted around the state last year, and less than 1 in 10 incidents resulted in an arrest.
So now the Murphy Administration is doing what it does best: blame the victims. On Monday, the governor and his attorney general (Matt Platkin) took to Twitter/X to blame an alleged security vulnerability” in Hyundais and Kias for a huge chunk (1 in 5) of Garden State car thefts. Their new talking point derives from news of a car hack method popularized in recent months by TikTok.
“Approximately 143,000 Hyundais and Kias registered in New Jersey have a security vulnerability making them susceptible to thieves — accounting for 19% of all auto thefts in the state,” tweeted Murphy.
“A recent trend shows just how easy it is to steal Hyundais and Kias. But no matter what you’ve heard, there ARE steps you can take to safeguard your vehicle from theft and the violent crime it can fuel,” said Platkin, advertising an available software update.
Approximately 143,000 Hyundais and Kias registered in New Jersey have a security vulnerability making them susceptible to thieves — accounting for 19% of all auto thefts in the state.
Let’s work together to reduce auto thefts statewide. https://t.co/2eGLMrT6HX— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) August 14, 2023
Of course, what Murphy and Platkin ignore is that the uptick in New Jersey auto thefts isn’t a recent trend. They’ve been on the rise of awhile.
The car theft trend:
- 2019: 11,989
- 2020: 11,781
- 2021: 14,425
- 2022: 15,650
Also absent from their analysis: the failure that is New Jersey bail reform and Phil Murphy’s efforts to empty state prison facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
They can blame car manufacturers all they want. The cold hard data tells a very different story.
