U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report March 1999, NCJ 171145 Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96

By Patsy Klaus BJS Statistician Highlights

An average of about 49,000 completed Carjackings or attempted nonfatal carjackings took Annual average, 1992-96 Total Completed Attempted place each year in the United States Number of incidents 48,787 24,520 24,267 between 1992 and 1996. In about half Number of victimizations 53,452 27,710 25,742 of the incidents, the offender was Rate per 10,000 persons 2.5 1.3 1.2 successful in taking the victim s motor All carjackings 100% 100% 100% vehicle. In addition, although data on No weapon 17 8* 25 fatal carjackings are not available, Total with weapon 83 92 75 about 27 homicides by strangers each Firearm 47 72 22* year involved automobile . Some Knife, other, or unknown 36 20 52 of these may have been carjackings. Percent of carjackings Carjacking, as defined in this report, is With injury 16% 23% 10% a completed or attempted theft in which Reported to the 79 100 57 a motor vehicle is taken by force or *Based on fewer than 10 sample cases. threat of force. It differs from other , which does not y Carjacking is defined as completed y About half of all carjackings were include incidents in which the offender or attempted of a motor completed. vehicle by a stranger to the victim. used force or threats of force to obtain y About 7 of 10 completed carjackings It differs from other motor vehicle the vehicle. As explained in Meth- involved firearms, compared to 2 theft because the victim is present odology on page 5, only incidents in of 10 attempted carjackings. which offenders were strangers to the and the offender uses or threatens victim were included in this report, to use force. y Most carjackings, completed or attempted, did not result in injury except where otherwise noted. Car- ù Carjackings resulting in murder of to the victims. jackings that resulted in the murder the victim(s) are not covered by the of the victim(s) are not covered by the National Crime Victimization Survey. y All of the completed carjackings National Crime Victimization Survey According to FBI data, however, each identified by the survey were reported (NCVS). year about 27 homicides by strangers to the police, while more than half of involved automobile theft. These the attempts were reported. Data about murders that involved incidents may have been carjackings. automobile theft were obtained from the Uniform Crime Reports, collected y Between 1992 and 1996 an average by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. of about 49,000 attempted or com- pleted carjackings occurred in the United States each year. Characteristics of nonfatal Generally the categories of people the Table 2. Measures that victims carjackings most vulnerable to nonfatal carjacking of carjacking took to protect were those observed to be the most themselves, 1992-96 Each year between 1992 and 1996, vulnerable to overall. an average of about 2.5 per 10,000 Men were more frequently victimized Self-protective Percent of all persons age 12 or older were victims than women; blacks more often than measure carjackings of a completed or attempted carjacking whites; Hispanics, than non-Hispanics; Total 100% (table 1). and divorced, separated, or never- No resistance 38 Threatened/attacked married persons, than those who were with weapon 3* Ninety-two percent of carjacking married or widowed. Urban residents Unarmed confrontational incidents involved one victim, and were more likely to experience carjack- resistancea 16 Nonconfrontational actionsb 34 1% involved three or more victims. ing than suburban or rural residents. Other 9* Persons over age 50 had lower rates Number of victims Percent of *Based on fewer than 10 sample cases. in an incident incidents than younger persons, but there were aIncludes attacking the offender, chasing or 1 92% no clear patterns by household income. trying to capture the offender, and other similar methods. 2 7* b 3 or more 1* Includes running away, calling for help, trying A weapon of some type was used to get attention, screaming, and other similar *Based on fewer than 10 sample cases. in 83% of all carjackings (Highlights methods. and figure 1). Firearms were used Most carjacking victims were not Table 1. Characteristics of carjacking in 72% of completed carjackings and victims, by rates per 10,000 persons, 22% of attempts. Overall, firearms injured. About 16% of victims of 1992-96 were used in almost half of total nonfa- attempted or completed carjackings Annual average tal carjacking incidents. were injured. Serious injuries, such rates of attempted as gunshot or knife wounds, broken or completed Thirty-eight percent of carjacking bones, internal injuries, and loss of Victim carjackings consciousness, occurred in about 4% characteristic per 10,000 persons victims offered no resistance to the Total 2.5 offender (table 2). Nineteen percent of all carjackings. More minor injuries, used confrontational resistance, such such as bruises, chipped teeth, and Age as threatening the offender with a other similar injuries, occurred in about 12 to 24 2.5 13% of all carjackings. 25 to 49 3.6 weapon, attacking the offender, chas- 50 or older 0.9 ing or trying to capture the offender, Percent of victims of and other similar methods. A third attempted or completed Sex of victims used nonconfrontational Type of injury carjackings Male 3.1 Uninjured 84% Female 1.9 methods, such as running away, calling Serious injuriesa 4* for help, trying to get attention, and Minor injuries 13* Race other similar methods. Data were not White 2.0 *Based on fewer than 10 sample cases. Black 6.0 sufficient to analyze the relative impact aIncludes gunshot or knife wounds, Other 2.2* of various self-defense methods on broken bones, internal injuries, and carjacking completion or victim injury. loss of consciousness. Ethnicity Hispanic 6.1 Non-Hispanic 2.2 The offender carried a gun in almost three- fourths of completed, nonfatal carj ackings Marital status Never married 4.1 Weapon present during carjacking Married 1.4 Widowed 1.7* Attempted Divorced/separated 4.3 No weapon Completed Household income Less than $15,000 2.9 Firearm $15,000 to $34,999 2.0 $35,000 to $49,999 3.2 $50,000 or more 2.4 Other weapon/unknown

Location of residence 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Urban 4.0 Percent of carjacking incidents Suburban 2.4 Rural 0.7* Figure 1 Note: Based on NCVS data. Does not include carjackings involving murder. *Based on fewer than 10 sample cases.

2 Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96 About 13% of surveyed carjacking reported that multiple offenders of About 65% of carjacking incidents victims were treated in hospital more than one race committed the occurred within 5 miles of the victim s emergency departments or outside crime. home. About 5% of the carjackings hospital settings, such as in doctors happened more than 50 miles from offices or at the crime scene. About Of the daytime carjacking incidents, the victim s home. 3% of victims did not seek medical almost 2 in 3 were completed. Less treatment even though they were than half of the nighttime incidents All of the completed carjacking injured. were completed. incidents identified by the survey were reported to the police. More than half Medical Percent of Time of Com- At- of the attempted incidents were also treatment carjacking victims occurrence All pleted tempted reported, according to the victims. Injured Total 100% 50% 50% Emergency room, Day Percent of carjackings doctor s office, (6 a.m.-6 p.m.) 100 64 36 reported to the police crime scene 13% Night All 79% Untreated 3 (6 p.m.-6 a.m.) 100 42 58 Completed 100 Uninjured 84% Attempted 57 Most carjacking incidents occurred Carjacking victims received at least Carjacking incidents were about evenly away from the victim s home. Forty partial recovery of their property in 7 divided between those committed by a percent occurred in an open area, such of 10 completed incidents. Fifteen lone offender and those committed by as on the street (other than adjacent to percent of completed carjackings more than one offender (table 3). the victim’s home or the home of a involved recovery of all property.

friend or neighbor), near a bus, Incidents with partial recovery most Males committed 97% of carjacking subway, or train station or near an likely involved the recovery of vehicles incidents, and groups with both males airport (table 4). Twenty percent either damaged or missing stolen and females committed 3%. occurred in parking lots or near articles. commercial places like stores, restau- Fifty-eight percent of carjacking rants, gas stations, and office Recovery Percent of completed of property carjackings incidents were committed by offenders buildings. whom the victim perceived to be black, All 15% Part 56 and 19% were committed by offenders Although carjackings often occurred None 27 perceived to be white. In 5% of away from the victim s home, they Unknown 2* carjacking incidents, the victim(s) usually did not occur very far away. *Based on fewer than 10 sample cases. Table 3. Characteristics of carjacking offenders, 1992-96 Table 4. Places where carjackings occurred, 1992-96 Percent of carjacking incidents Percent of Characteristic of incident All Completed Attempted completed Total 100% 100% 100% or attempted Characteristic and nonfatal of carjackers carjackings Place of occurrence At or near victim’s/friend’s/neighbor’s home 26% 25% 26% Total 100% Commercial place/parking lota 20 16* 25 Open area/public transportationb 40 46 35 Number in incident Other 13 13* 14 1 45% 2 or more 55 Distance from home Sexa At/near home 22% 25% 19%* All male 97% 1 mile or less 22 27* 18* Both male and female 3* 5 miles or less 21 16* 26 50 miles or less 30 30 29 More than 50 miles 5* 3* 8* Racea White 19% *Based on fewer than 10 sample cases. Black 58 aIncludes stores, gas stations, office buildings, restaurants, and other commercial places. Otherb 16 bIncludes on the street (other than in front of victim s, neighbor s, or friend s home), More than one race 5* in parks, and on public transportation, such as in a bus or train station or in an airport. *Based on fewer than 10 sample cases. aCombines characteristics of carjackers in single-offender and multiple-offender incidents. bIncludes Asians and American Indians. Respondents also may have incorrectly classified Hispanic offenders as belonging to “other races.”

Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96 3 Thirty-five percent of completed Federal prosecution of carjacking Statistics Program. The statute carjacking incidents were reported to authorizing Federal prosecution for insurance companies. Most carjacking Each fiscal year 1992 through 1996, carjacking (18 USC 2119) requires a victims indicated that they either had U.S. attorneys filed an average of 229 finding of intent to cause death or no theft insurance or did not report carjacking cases in U.S. district serious bodily harm to the victim and the theft to their insurance company. courts. In fiscal year 1996 U.S. provides penalties of up to 25 years Completed carjackings were less likely attorneys declined to pursue Federal for the serious bodily injury to the than completed motor vehicle in prosecution of 137 defendants victim and a possible capital sentence general to be reported to insurance charged with carjacking. These data if the victim is killed. companies. are from the BJS Federal Justice Percent of completed & Reported to Car- Motor vehicle insurance jackings thefts Infants taken during carjackings: Homicides involving motor Yes 35% 57% A search of news reports vehicle theft No or without insurance 63 41 Unknown 2* 2 One fear of carjacking is that an The findings presented using NCVS infant strapped into a carseat will be data cover carjackings that did not *Based on fewer than 10 sample cases. abducted. While the NCVS does not result in murder. The Supplemental have data on carjackings in which Homicide Reports from the FBI s Carjacking by persons infants were taken, a search of news Uniform Crime Reports include infor- the victims knew accounts for 12 months in 1997-98 mation on circumstances associated provided some information. Eight with murder. One of these circum- Although carjacking in this report infants, ages 2 to 14 months, were stances is auto theft. is confined to robbery by strangers, kidnaped in carjackings, according NCVS data also describe motor to news reports. It is not possible to determine how vehicle theft by force by many of these murders with auto nonstrangers. Most of these incidents occurred theft involved direct confrontation during the day. Half were at a of the victim with carjacking as the Victim- Percent of violent offender motor vehicle service station, supermarket, or motive. For example, the offender or relationship , 1992-96 shopping center; half were on the offenders may have entered a home, Stranger 72% street or in a parking lot. murdered the occupants, and taken Intimate or relative 15 Other 14 the car as an escape vehicle. Carjackers attempted to force the Strangers to the victims committed driver from the car in two incidents Between 1992 and 1996 strangers 72% of the carjacking incidents and succeeded in one. Seven of the committed 49% of the 272 murders measured by NCVS. Intimates, eight infants were found shortly after involving auto theft. Of the nine such as spouses, ex-spouses, the incident, or the attempt was murder/auto thefts with a victim boyfriends, or girlfriends, or relatives foiled. At the outset most offenders under age 16, one involved multiple committed 15%. The remainder of were unaware of the baby and within murders. Possibly a victim age 16 or the victims either said they knew the a short time left the infant and/or older was driving a carjacked vehicle offender as an acquaintance or did abandoned the car. in which an occupant under 16 was not report to the NCVS their murdered. There are insufficient relationship to the offender. The National Criminal Justice Refer- data to conclude that these (or other) ence Service conducted the Lexis- murder/auto thefts were carjackings. Nexis newspaper search for March 1997 through March 1998. The These data show, however, that search covered more than 2,300 carjacking involving murder is a full-text information sources and rare event. If all murder/auto thefts more than 1,000 abstracted sources. committed by strangers between Multiple references to a carjacking 1992 and 1996 were carjackings, with infant kidnaping were removed. there would have been an annual average of 27 homicides committed The search may have missed some with a carjacking. incidents, particularly attempted carjackings and those not reported in newspapers or receiving only local coverage in small newspapers.

4 Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96 Methodology The Bureau of Justice Statistics This report and additional data, is the statistical agency of the analyses, and graphs about criminal Except for the information concerning U.S. Department of Justice. victimization in the United States are infants in carjackings and auto theft Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D., is director. available on the Internet at involving murder (see the boxes on http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ page 4), this report presents data from BJS Special Reports address a the National Crime Victimization specific topic in depth from one Data presented in this report can be Survey (NCVS). The NCVS obtains or more datasets that cover many obtained from the National Archive information about crimes from an topics. of Criminal Justice Data at the ongoing, nationally representative University of Michigan, 1-800-999- sample of households in the United Patsy Klaus wrote this report. 0960. The archive can also be States. NCVS data include both those Cathy Maston provided statistical accessed through the BJS Web site. incidents reported and those not review. Callie Rennison reviewed When at the archive site, search for reported to the police. Between 1992 the completed report. Tom Hester ICPSR 6406. and 1996 approximately 221,000 edited and produced the report. households and 430,000 persons Marilyn Marbrook, assisted by age 12 or older were interviewed. Yvonne Boston and Jayne Response rates between 1992 and Robinson, administered final 1996 ranged from 91% to 96% of eligi- production. ble households and individuals. March 1999, NCJ 171145 Carjacking is not one of the crimes measured every year by the NCVS because of an insufficient number of cases identified annually. To measure nonfatal carjacking over multiple years using NCVS data, cases were selected based on the following criteria: (a) a completed or attempted robbery occurred, (b) a car or other motor vehicle, such as a truck or any other motorized vehicle legally allowed on public roads or highways, was taken or an attempt was made to take such a vehicle, and (c) the offender or offend- ers were strangers to the victim(s).

Because of the relatively small number of carjacking incidents occurring annually, findings from a sample may not fully measure the characteristics of carjackings. For example, although all of the completed carjacking incidents measured by the sample were reported to the police, we cannot conclude that completed carjackings are always reported to the police. Similar caution should be exercised in interpreting other findings.

Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96 5 6 Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96