Car thefts at the Philadelphia Airport have risen sharply since before the pandemic

More cars have been stolen from the Philadelphia International Airport this year than in the last five years combined.

When thieves, apparently attempting to break into a car, allegedly shot two police officers — one fatally — Thursday night, it was the latest in a rash of car-related crimes at the airport. While violent crime is rare at the airport, vehicle thefts have increased dramatically since before the pandemic, in 2019, according to Philadelphia police data.

So far this year, 112 cars have been stolen from the Philadelphia airport, a spike of 5,500% from the same time in 2019, when just two incidents of stolen cars were reported. About one-third of this year’s car thefts were reported as having been stolen from an airport garage.

These figures include attempted thefts, but do not count car thefts when a gun was used, which are filed under a different crime classification.

Asked about the uptick in reports of car thefts, airport officials said security within the garages was the jurisdiction of the Philadelphia Police Department, which has increased its airport patrols in recent months.

“The safety, security, and peace of mind of our guests and employees are our top priority,” said Atif Saeed, CEO of the airport. “We have a strong collaborative relationship with the Philadelphia Police Department and together we are working hard to ensure everyone traveling through and working at PHL is safe.”

Before Thursday night’s fatal shooting of Officer Richard Mendez and 18-year-old Jesus Herman Madera Duran, there were no homicides at the airport this year, according to crime data. There were six armed robberies.

Reports of thefts from vehicles at the airport also have risen since 2019, from 14 to 79 — an increase of 464%.

Friday afternoon, travelers expressed dismay about the shooting that occurred the night before.

Sara Childress, who was in Philadelphia for a conference and was heading home to Alaska, had learned of the shooting while watching the news. Childress, who lives in a suburb of Anchorage, wondered: “Is this a common occurrence? Is the airport safe?”

The shooting occurred in the garage of Terminal D, a terminal that sees 1,500 passengers and employees between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. on a typical weeknight, airport officials said.

In June, police reported that rental car theft at the airport was rampant. They’d logged 25 auto theft incidents since January from rental lots at Avis, Budget, National, Alamo, Hertz, and other operators. Five were at gunpoint.

Airports in other U.S. cities such as Dallas and Denver have dealt with similar issues and announced an increase in security patrols to combat car theft.

» READ MORE: Thieves have boosted dozens of rental cars from Philadelphia International Airport this year

The spike in car thefts at the Philadelphia airport mirrors a citywide trend. Across Philadelphia this year, more than 18,000 vehicles have been reported stolen. That’s a rise of 130% compared with the same point last year. Car thefts in the city have been rising since the fall of 2020.

Crime at the airport has also risen overall, with about 950 incidents reported so far this year — an increase of 87% since 2019. Car thefts made up 12% of the reported offenses. Between 2014 and 2019, those cases made up 2% of all incidents reported at the airport.