I live in the same general area as Mike (NE NJ, bedroom community about 40 miles west of NYC as route 80 lies), and it is the same thing here, it is crimes of opportunity. It is either local kids, or because it is easy access from highways, people driving around looking for unsecured cars. The local crime rate is really low, but this kind of thing goes on, stuff stolen from unlocked cars (occasionally people will break a window, but it is rare, too noisy). when cars are stolen it is because they are keyless and people leave the fobs in the car (don't ask me why).
I grew up in the house I live in, and it was different back then, house was never locked, we didn't lock the cars and often they had the keys in them, we never had a car stolen, it was like that. Was less built up back then and also with highway access it wasn't as easy to get in/out and away to wherever the thief lives. I remember when my parents first started going to florida during the winter months, I would go to check on their house, and would end up locking the one door lock that worked, and then making sure the rest of the doors and such were barred. About the worse thing that happened was a squirrel got in through a door that had blown open...but then again, my folks didn't exactly have all that much worth stealing, either, it is the way they lived
. On the other hand, my wife, who grew up in city areas, and then having lived in the Bronx for a number of years and other city areas, it seems weird to think about the way I grew up.
