STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Assemblyman Michael Reilly recently announced a bill aimed at holding repeat car thieves accountable for their crimes.
Flanked by officials, including Assemblyman Michael Tannousis and Borough President Vito Fossella, as well as representatives from law enforcement labor unions, Reilly introduced the legislation outside the 122nd Precinct in New Dorp Friday morning.
The legislation, A9104, looks to empower district attorneys prosecuting such cases by substantially increasing the penalty for committing repeated acts of motor vehicle theft and making these offenses eligible for bail or remand.
“Currently, if you commit a grand larceny auto, it is an “e” felony, and you basically walk out the door through bail reform laws,” Reilly said. “With this legislation, it would increase the penalty. If you commit the crime of grand larceny auto, and you commit it again within five years after a conviction, it would become aggravated grand larceny auto, which would raise the threshold of how long you can be in prison for.”
The legislative adjustment looks to stand as a deterrence against the threat of repeat offenders by classifying the offense as a class D felony.
Additionally, Reilly announced that the bill would prevent 16-year-old and 17-year-old offenders from escaping accountability.
According to Reilly, these cases are currently moved to family court, where they are not held accountable.
“We must do all we can to reduce the number of stolen cars on Staten Island,” Borough President Vito Fossella said. “As a practical matter, if someone steals a car and gets caught there is very little consequence, especially if you are 16 or 17 years old. Our efforts will see to it that if you are a serial car thief or a 16- or 17-year-old, you will pay a price. This is a no-brainer.”
THE GRAND LARCENY AUTO PROBLEM
The rising threat of car thefts plagues New York, and has done so for many years now.
In 2023, New York City witnessed 15,802 reported…
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