Hoboken Police Warn Residents Against Leaving Unattended Cars Running; Yes, We’re Serious

(ABOVE: Dramatization/Paramount Pictures)

Yeah, so, um… here’s a little “lifehack” from our friends at the Hoboken Police Department:

Try to limit the probability of your car being stolen, perhaps refrain from leaving said vehicle running and unattended on the urban streets of Northern New Jersey.

“The Hoboken Police Department would like to issue a Public Service Announcement regarding driver’s leaving their vehicle(s) running and unoccupied and the practice of storing your keys in the vehicle,” reads a statement issued by the HPD. “In 2019, the City of Hoboken had 32 vehicles reported stolen in our city. Of the 32 vehicles reported stolen, 9 of those vehicles were left running and unattended.”

via GIPHY

HPD acknowledges that people have gotten into the habit of warming vehicles in cold weather, or running a quick errand. Delivery services are likely to do this out of convenience—which is not only ill-advised, but also illegal. Leaving your vehicle running is a violation of New Jersey Statute 39:4-53 (Leaving your Engine Running and Unoccupied). The law is meant to prevent the recklessness and public danger that generally come with stolen vehicles.

In a number of Hoboken’s reported stolen vehicle cases, the keys were stored inside the vehicle. That’s also generally seen as a bad idea.

“This year we already had 5 cars reported stolen as of 01/29/2020. Of those five vehicles, 2 of were left running and unoccupied and one had the keys stored inside,” said HPD. “To be clear, it remains the responsibility of the owner/operator to turn off their vehicle, lock the doors and take their keys with them. Please help us keep our city streets safe.”

via GIPHY