Motor vehicle thefts were down significantly in Arlington over the first four months of this year, and a trend of fewer carjackings has continued.
Total offenses, meanwhile, have held fairly steady.
The Arlington County Police Department recorded 56 motor vehicle thefts between January and April, according to an ARLnow review of data in monthly community reports.
That’s a fraction of the 126 motor vehicle thefts reported in the first four months of 2024. It’s also less than half of the 117 thefts recorded between January and April 2023.
A small fraction of these reported thefts have been carjackings, which involve someone using violence to steal a motor vehicle. Arlington has seen three carjackings so far in 2025, according to the county’s crime data hub.
That’s the same number as this time last year, and down significantly from 11 carjackings at this point in 2023.
While relatively rare these days, carjackings and attempted carjackings have remained dramatic.
In one reported incident in Courthouse last week, two suspects reportedly drew guns and punched a man in the face to steal his Toyota Corolla.
In another incident in March, two teens were caught on camera hiding between two cars to ambush a driver in Pentagon City. After reportedly brandishing a firearm, the suspects fled and were later arrested.
Looking at the big picture, property crimes as a whole are down slightly year-over-year: 3,150 compared to 3,440. However, they remain more common than in 2023, when police had recorded only 2,819 property crimes at this point.
Arlington’s overall number of offenses is about the same as this time last year, at 5,624 compared to 5,576.
Crime had been increasing in recent years in Arlington. Offenses jumped 15% between 2023 and 2024, and 6% between 2022 and 2023, according to online data.
This month, ACPD began hosting quarterly “community meetings” to discuss crime trends, cover community issues and offer crime prevention tips.
