Police: Not uncommon to arrest young girls in car thefts

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As Buffalo Police investigates the arrest of a 14-year-old girl on charges of being involved in two auto thefts in consecutive days, some are wondering how often young girls are involved in these cases. Officials say it's not uncommon.

New York State Police Trooper James O'Callaghan says car thefts have gone up 30% in Troop A from 2022 to 2023.

"That number is staggering, and unfortunately, a lot of the vehicles being taken in this area are by juveniles, those are people 17 or younger," said O'Callaghan in an interview with WBEN.

O'Callaghan says the youngest suspects have been 12 and 13 years of age.

In addition, O'Callaghan says it's not uncommon to see young girls involved in these car thefts.

"A lot of our higher felony crimes are done by predominantly males. But there's nothing to say that's always a cookie cutter case, depending on people's backgrounds, or what's going on in their lives or personal lives, it's not uncommon to arrest a female," O'Callaghan explained.

Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia says it's not uncommon to deal with young girls in car theft investigations.

"It's mostly boys, but girls are getting into vehicles as well," said Gramaglia on Monday.

Gramaglia says the Buffalo Police Department has dealt with children as young as 11, when it comes to thefts.

O'Callaghan notes arresting a juvenile is not like arresting an adult.

"It's a very different set of rules. When you're that young, obviously, there's a lot more parameters as far as the juvenile arrest, not releasing information or names," O'Callaghan said.

He adds it's done a lot of times through family court, even though it's such a serious matter.

"The fact of the matter is and what we're seeing, unfortunately, a lot of these kids are kind of put back with the family. And unfortunately, they just keep on this kind of routine of stealing vehicles is becoming more and less a common practice," O'Callaghan noted.

He adds most kids do this for something to do, not to take them to chop shops.