Car Thefts In Washington Rise 65% As Number Approaches 1 Million Nationwide

As Democrats swear up and down that crime across the country is under control, the data continues to prove them otherwise. This week it was Washington stolen vehicle data, which showed the number of cars stolen across the nation is steadily approaching the 1 million mark. 

In fact, vehicle thefts jumped nearly 14% nationwide from 2020 to 2022, according to data by LendingTree and reporting by KOMO News. 

In Washington, the data was clear. Thefts rose by over 65%, with Oregon seeing a 40% increase, placing both states among the top five nationwide. Three Washington cities—Kennewick, Bremerton, and Wenatchee—rank in the nation’s top 10 for theft spikes, according to KOMO News.

The KOMO News report says that theft rates rose in 34 states, with Vermont leading. While theft impacts insurance rates, Washington’s rates remain 22% below the national average due to other balancing factors.

Rob Bhatt, LendingTree auto expert and insurance agent, commented: “We’re talking about smaller places that we don’t necessarily associate with big city problems like car thefts.”

“Some of the other things that play in to the equation include things like crash rates and also the cost of medical treatment, the cost of car repairs and all those things,” Bhatt added. “The auto makers have provided a fix and I think that’s working its way through the system. Why they didn’t have this anti-theft technology in the first place is baffling.”

Recall at the end of summer we wrote how car thefts were becoming a nationwide “epidemic”. 

We wrote that the number of cars seized at the Port of Newark was on the rise. Jeffrey Greene, acting director at the Port of New York and Newark, oversees customs officials using x-rays to inspect containers and seize stolen cars.

In one case this year, two junk vehicles concealed a pristine Mercedes, while another container held a stolen Chevy Silverado.

So far this year, they’ve seized 331 vehicles, on pace to surpass last year’s total. Investigators say West African markets, especially Nigeria, offer the highest prices. Social media videos show luxury SUVs being unloaded from containers, sometimes still sporting American license plates.

Greene commented: “So last year, the Port of New York-Newark here, we led the country in seized vehicles … We had 368 vehicles. That’s more than a car a day.”

The CBS report says young people are often recruited for car thefts, according to Homeland Security Special Agent William Walker, who leads an auto crime task force.