Choke points, better intel: NYPD official details new strategy in Staten Island stolen car pursuits

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Following high-profile police responses this week on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the Staten Island Expressway involving stolen vehicles, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell spoke with the Advance/SILive.com about the department’s new strategy when it comes to pursuing and tracking stolen vehicles.

“We’re at a five-year high with stolen cars — it’s not new, but this year it is at the top,” Chell said. “Stolen cars are our number one crime increase — the city is up 30-plus percent and there have been an additional 1,600 stolen cars.”