A stripped Ford Fusion on Jefferson Street, between Central and Evergreen Aves. — photo by Diego Cupolo

“He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.” – Benjamin Franklin

Not only is the quote still relevant, but it serves as my explanation for most crime. Everyone’s got to pay the bills and, lately, it seems like more people are turning to car jacking as a way to bring in the cabbage.

Over the last year, auto theft has risen 27 percent in Bushwick, according to the latest NYPD statistics [pdf] and the Ford Fusion pictured above is merely one of the 183 cars reported stolen in the 83rd Precinct since January. Unlike the last chop job I profiled, this car was spared the fire damage, which made it easy to play detective and get into the criminal’s mindset.

This job looks like the work of amateurs. They took the light stuff -– the radio, wheels, headlights, license plates, battery and, oddly, the cap to the windshield wiper fluid tank. Seems like wasteful execution for a new car, I’m sure they could have made more money with better planning. But not all is lost: a car jack is still holding up the vehicle’s back end, making the sight more dramatic and earning the thieves some style points.

What’s interesting is this work must have taken a fair amount of time and it all occurred on a partly residential street. It must be stressful to dismantle a car, knowing a brave dog walker or an undercover cop car could come by any minute and ruin your scheme.