It’s not the news Montgomery County officials want to hear. The number of carjackings is on the rise, and so are concerns for county residents.
“I’m always a little nervous about being exposed because you never know,” said Abrilla Mackey of Takoma Park.
Mackey says she has anxiety when she hears about a carjacking in the county. Now, she makes sure to be vigilant when she’s out shopping or pumping gas.
“I’m pretty cautious about my surroundings. I make sure I lock my car before I go in,” Mackey said. “I never leave my keys in the car and I always hide my purse.”
That’s because the number of carjackings in Montgomery County is on track to reach another record year. According to recent data from the county, 74 carjackings have been reported so far this year. That’s compared to 80 for all of 2022.
Also, Montgomery County saw 49 carjackings from January through March in a record high for the first quarter of the year, according to Data Montgomery. The highest first quarter number was previously 18 in 2021.
It’s alarming to Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy, who said it’s happening across multiple jurisdictions.
“The police departments in the [D.C.] Metropolitan area also have regional task forces to discuss trends that are occurring,” McCarthy said. “It’s not isolated to Montgomery County. This is around the entire region.”
Mackey said she doesn’t fault police for the rise in carjackings, because they can only do so much.
“They can’t be everywhere,” she said.
