NCJ Number
187307
Date Published
2000
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This report on "carjacking" offenses in 1999 in New Jersey covers geographic problem areas; profiles of carjacking locations; descriptions of vehicles being carjacked; age, sex, and race of victims and offenders; types of weapons used; additional crimes committed; and estimates of the value of vehicles stolen.
Abstract
New Jersey law defines "carjacking" as "the felonious and forcible taking or attempted taking of a motor vehicle of another, against the victim's will, by violence or by putting the victim in fear. The element of personal confrontation is always present in this crime, unless the victim is unaware that the crime is taking place, e.g., victim is an infant, sleeping child, etc." There were 391 carjacking offense reported to the police in New Jersey in 1999, of which 11 were determined to be unfounded; 437 victims, including passengers, were involved. This was a 9-percent decrease from 1998. Firearms were involved in 50 percent of the carjackings, and shootings occurred in 2 percent of the carjackings. Ford was the most frequently carjacked vehicle make (14 percent), and 1995 was the most frequently targeted model year (11 percent). Fifty-nine percent of all carjacked vehicles were recovered. Carjackings occurred in a residential area 45 percent of the time, and 69 percent of carjackings occurred between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. The most frequent victim age group was 20-24 (21 percent). Seventy-one percent of all victims were male, and 51 percent of all victims were white. There were 651 offenders. Of known offenders, 38 percent were between the ages of 20 and 24. Ninety-four percent of known offenders were male, and 81 percent were African-American. No murders resulted from carjackings. Eleven percent of carjackings were cleared by arrest. Extensive tables and figures