POINT PLEASANT, NJ – Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra is the latest public official to put the growing auto theft epidemic squarely in the hands of Governor Phil Murphy and his administration.
Soft on crime policies by Murphy’s administration and the Attorney General’s Office that put criminals before victims have created a sense of lawlessness in the state where the criminals know they won’t be going to jail for their crimes. They also know the police will be hesitant to chase them if they’re caught due to the scrutiny of New Jersey police officers by the administration.
It all becomes a lose-lose situation for law-abiding citizens, and Kanitra is fed up, saying, “This state is broken.”
Kanitra’s statement came after a man was nearly robbed of his vehicle by suspects driving a vehicle reported stolen out of Pennsylvania.
Despite press conferences and press releases saying the state is cracking down on car thefts by North Jersey teens targeting suburbs, nothing has changed as car thefts and burglaries are continuing statewide at a feverish pace.
“Why else do you think we’ve gotten to the point where gangs from North Jersey continually come to Monmouth and Ocean to steal cars in broad daylight?” Kanitra asked after the incident. “Take your pick of reasons. Is it our pandering laws meant to buy votes instead of protecting us? Is it bail reform which puts criminals back on the street to commit crime time and time again? How about the lack of accountability for juveniles? A lot of the car thieves are under 18 because the gangs are smart enough to know they face little no penalty. What about the attacks on police in general, painting them as the bad guys and undermining their authority?”
Kanitra said weak-kneed politicians like Governor Murphy and the Democrat lawmakers in Trenton cheering him from the sidelines need to be held accountable.