QUEENS — Car thieves are going old school in Forest Hills.
Amid a spike in the number of auto thefts in the neighborhood, police officials are saying that the bandits are targeting cars from the 1990 because of their metal content.
Cops also suspect that there may be an “organized ring targeting Lexus vehicles” in the neighborhood, Capt. Thomas Conforti, the commanding officer of the 112th Precinct, said at a community council meeting earlier this week.
So far this year there have been 17 incidents of auto thefts, nine more than the same period last year, Conforti said.
The older cars that have been targeted may have no trading value, but they have more metallic elements than modern vehicles.
Thieves “can take it to a scrap yard and they can get roughly $500 to a $1,000 dollars for it,” he said.
Conforti noted that two newer-model Lexus cars were also stolen, despite anti-theft technology that makes it very difficult to steal these vehicles without the key.
Officials suspect a theft ring may be involved becasue the trend has also been noticed in some of the neighboring precincts.
