In what CBS 2 describes as “a new crime of opportunity that takes only seconds,” thieves in the New York area are reportedly pilfering valuables from unsuspecting motorists as they mindlessly pump gas. They call it “sliding,” because the thieves slide right by your car, snatch your stuff, and slide away from the gas station. Or something.
“This is a very easy crime,” a retired NYPD detective told CBS 2. True though that may be, “sliding” is nothing new. Here’s a Fox 5 story from last August about “sliding,” including one instance where the entire car was stolen. Usually that’s just called stealing a car. Another story from last August made “sliding” more about snatching women’s purses from unattended car windows. It even provided a new etymology: “It’s called sliding, because of the way the thieves drive up next to another vehicle where a woman is outside pumping gas, and then typically slide down below eye level to slip into the victim’s vehicle and swipe her purse.”
Is “sliding” a real thing that actually happens? Yeah, but it’s called stealing stuff from cars, a crime that’s been committed ever since people started putting stuff in their cars.
