It was an Altima — photo by Diego Cupolo
Just around the corner from Factory Fresh sits a lone Nissan Altima, or at least what’s left of it. Its freshly exposed components glow under bright orange street lights as art enthusiasts digest the collection of street art on a wall nearby.
Located on Vandervoort Place between Thames Street and Flushing Avenue, it is obvious this Nissan fell into the hands of professionals — the car’s been stripped more thoroughly and than any chop job I’ve ever seen before. The thieves got away with the front doors, five wheels (including the spare), the battery, hood, trunk, front doors, gas cap and all of the seats.
The only indication of how they did it: broken glass on the passenger side.
chillinoncentral November 20th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Dont forget the air bags, the headlights, air bags and other expensive computerized components. The parts taken from this car are probably restocking another similar Altima that was likely purchased cheaply at a salvage auction like those in Florida. The theives can then arrange for re-sale at huge profits.
Brian H November 20th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Where is that again, I need some Alama parts
Ryan November 20th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Are you trying to make it seem like if you leave your car parked in bushwick for even a second it’ll get hacked up? Cause otherwise I can’t see a point to these blog entries.
chillinoncentral November 20th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
For me, it’s pretty similar to slowing down to see the accident on the side of the road (not that I drive). It’s a curiosity more than anything else. But, these posting also offer a sense of awareness of local crime. A safer Bushwick neighborhood should be everyone’s concern… we can all make the effort to become an extension of the eyes and ears of the police; reporting suspicious activity in our area to proper authorities, without putting ourselves at risk or course. The car in this article was probably stolen elsewhere and brought to Bushwick simply because the thieves don’t expect anyone to care about reporting their intentions if noticed.
Diego November 20th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I basically agree with chillinoncentral – there’s no hidden agenda behind these postings. A car can be stolen anywhere, it’s the location of the chop job that matters.
What’s most impressive is how these thieves can disassemble a car so thoroughly (which must have taken a long time) and avoid being spotted by a cop on the prowl. If anything, I feel these posts show the gaps in local police coverage.
Greg E November 20th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Let’s face it, there are A LOT of auto body and repair shops in the area. It makes sense that these chop jobs would happen somewhat frequently around here. And with fewer people buying new cars these days, more people will be needing maintenance to their older cars, which mean demand for older car parts will be up while the economy is in the tank. So if you have a car that was popular 10 years ago, like say, a Nissan Altima, and you park it on the street…. behold your future.
bushwicket November 21st, 2008 at 12:17 am
the funny thing about this car is that it has been stripped down over the course of two weeks. each day a few more pieces are taken off. it had michigan plates (lasted about a week) so maybe the car was ditched on purpose.
Dresden November 26th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
This car was stolen. The owner did not park it there.