Straight outta The Sopranos: Honda airbags are being stolen in NJ

Every day on The Judi and EJ Show we find a way to work in a Sopranos reference. It is not hard. Twenty-plus years after the show ended, The Sopranos remains more relevant to daily life in New Jersey than most things that happened last week. Whatever we are talking about — taxes, traffic, family, food, the slow grind of living in this state — there is always a Sopranos moment that fits.

Today's reference might be the best one yet. And this time it is personal.

I am on my second Honda CRV. I love that car. And I am a Sopranos guy. So when I read about what happened in Teaneck on Wednesday morning, I felt it in two places at once.

Christopher Moltisanti knew what he was talking about.

If you are a Sopranos fan you remember the scene. Christopher explaining the chop shop operation — airbags specifically called out as hot items, easy to pull, easy to resell, high demand from body shops that do not ask too many questions. It was a throwaway moment in a show full of them.

Turns out it was also a business tutorial.

Early Wednesday morning in Teaneck, between 1 and 2 a.m., a crew hit at least 11 Honda vehicles parked on streets near Route 4. They broke the locks, smashed windows in some cases, ripped the airbags right out of the steering wheels and were gone. Route 4 was the exit strategy — fast access, fast escape. The whole operation was over in under an hour.

One car was actually stolen. Not because it was the original target — because the owner left the key fob inside while the thieves were checking if it would start. That is how fast and how calculated this was.

Teaneck Mayor Mark Schwartz confirmed the 11 incidents but told ABC 7 that police are taking reports of dozens more. He also said something that should make every Honda owner in New Jersey pay attention — Honda airbags seem to be the new Hyundai catalytic converters.

He is not wrong.

SEE ALSO: The Sopranos predicted your NJ property tax bill — and Richie was right

Why Honda airbags and why now

This is not random. Honda airbags have been a target for years but the problem has accelerated sharply. The reasons are straightforward. Honda is one of the most popular car brands in America — more cars on the street means more targets. A Honda CRV airbag can be pulled in under 60 seconds by someone who knows what they are doing. And a stolen airbag that retails for over $1,000 brand new can be sold on the black market for $50 to $250 — creating demand from unscrupulous body shops that install them quietly and charge insurance companies full price.

The Teaneck crew knew exactly what neighborhood to hit, exactly which cars to target and exactly which road to use for the getaway. That is not opportunistic crime. That is organized.

This is not just a Teaneck problem

Chicago saw the same pattern in January — at least 20 Hondas hit across multiple neighborhoods in coordinated overnight raids. Nassau County on Long Island has issued warnings. The same pattern keeps appearing in the same form — multiple vehicles, same make, overnight, near a highway, professional speed.

New Jersey sits at the crossroads of two of the busiest metro areas on the planet. If there is a market for stolen car parts within driving distance, it will find its way here. It already has.

What you can do right now

The Teaneck mayor offered practical advice worth repeating. A steering wheel club — the old school device that locks across the wheel — is a genuine deterrent. It does not make the airbag impossible to steal but it makes it harder and slower, which matters when the whole operation depends on speed. Thieves move to the next car.

Park in your driveway if you have one. Make sure your Ring or security camera covers your vehicle. Do not leave your key fob in the car. Ever.

And if you own a Honda — especially a 2016 or newer Civic, Accord or CRV — pay attention to where you park tonight. I know I will be.

Today's Sopranos reference of the day

Beyond Christopher's chop shop tutorials, The Sopranos gave us something more fundamental — the understanding that organized crime is not some distant, cinematic thing. It lives in the neighborhood. It uses the same roads you use. It knows which streets are close to the highway and which cameras are not working.

Tony Soprano was not some fantasy villain. He was a New Jersey guy with a house in the suburbs, a boat, a driveway — and a very practical understanding of how things actually work.

The crew that hit Teaneck on Wednesday morning understood the same things Tony understood. Location. Timing. Speed. Exit routes.

The Sopranos ended in 2007. The lessons never did.

Christopher — if you are out there somewhere — pick us up some seafood and pastries on the way back. We need to talk.