PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The city of Philadelphia is experiencing a definite uptick in carjackings.
There have been more than 100 carjackings or attempted carjackings so far in 2022. Last year, the city had more than 700 carjackings, more than double the total from 2020.
“I would put my 'club' on my steering wheel as a habit," said Angelo, who was recently approached by a couple of armed men who demanded his keys. Angelo complied.
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When the bad guys saw the "club," a steering wheel lock, they dropped what they were doing and took off.
"I believe that deterred them because they didn’t know what a club was,” Angelo added. He did exactly what police say to do, which is to hand over the keys to your vehicle.
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Authorities also say to be aware of your surroundings and be a good witness, paying attention to the suspects' description, what they are wearing or saying.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said law enforcement is taking an aggressive approach in the carjacking investigations.
“Every one of our PPD detectives divisions and our major crimes unit has assigned detectives to investigate patterns, hotspots and develop intelligence as it relates to these carjackings," Outlaw said.
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"Our intelligence bureau is also gathering information from multiple sources, and working with our law enforcement partners to identify locations, trends, patterns, anything that we know of that are associated with these carjackings.“
Commissioner Outlaw also said the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office has been working closing with the police department and lending technology to strengthen investigations.
