Every 30 minutes, a vehicle is stolen in the state of Rio. In the first quarter of 2024, there were 4,440 occurrences of crime, an increase of 2% compared to the same period last year. The areas with the most cases, between January and March of this year, are the 42nd DP (Recreio), with 229 thefts, the 35th DP (Campo Grande), with 187 occurrences, and the 16th DP (Barra), with 144 records. The highest percentage growth, however, was in vehicle theft: the index increased 10.6% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 2023. There were 6,302 vehicle thefts. The police station areas with the most cases were the 59th DP (Duque de Caxias), with 340 records, the 27th DP (Santa Cruz), with 339 occurrences, and the 60th DP (Campos Elíseos), with 326 cases.
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27/04/2024 – Trouble between “motoboys” and the Municipal Guard (GM) near the Tijuca Mall frightened pedestrians and clients. Municipal Guards (GM) agents alleged that “motoboys” threw a stone over their post and damaged a patrol car. The investigation suspects the mess occurred because of the seizure of many motorcycles during a GM operation in the sector of the mall.
28/04/2024 – A family was carjacked at daylight in Bonsucesso, North RJ. The bandits got out of a car aiming their rifles at a family in their car. Two frightened elderly who witnessed the crime waited for the bandits to leave with their loot to open their door for the protection of the victims. The crime was registered at the precinct.
29/04/2024 – A woman killed her girlfriend in Santa Cruz, West RJ. Before the crime, the couple had a dispute in a bar where the suspect death threatened her girlfriend. According to the investigation, the victim would have been thrown through the window of their apartment, located on the 3rd floor. The suspect was arrested in the act.
29/04/2024 – Shootout in Tijuca scared residents. A shootout between Conde de Bonfim and Carmela Dutra streets scared residents of Tijuca, North RJ, on Monday night (04/29). According to reports criminals tried to rob a store and were surprised by gunfire. The bandits fled.
30/04/2024 – A shootout in Penha left one dead and one injured. A teenager died and an 18-year-old man was seriously injured during a shootout in Penha, North RJ, early Tuesday evening (04/30). The shooting occurred around 18:00 on Nicaragua Street, near the train station. According to firefighters, the teenager died at the scene. It is not yet known under what circumstances the shooting took place. The victims have not yet been identified.
01/05/2024 – The Labor Day holiday, on Wednesday (05/01), ended with more than 30 buses broken down after vandalism at the exit from the beaches of the South Zone of Rio. Images show the vehicles packed, traveling with passengers on the roof and doors open. In more images, buses appear with broken windows and doors, as well as ripped-out seats. According to Rio Ônibus, the action caused an average loss of R$200,000.
02/05/2024 – A suspect was shot and another arrested, on Thursday morning (05/02), during a Military Police operation in Cidade de Deus, West RJ. According to the PM, the action aimed to arrest criminals involved in territorial disputes and combat vehicle theft. One of the suspects was monitoring the movement of agents working in the community and was arrested with a radio transmitter while passing information to local criminals. The second man was shot during the confrontation. The police seized a weapon from him.
02/05/2024 – An Umbanda temple has been the target of religious intolerance in Tijuca, in Rio’s North Zone since September 2023. The police, claim that neighbors constantly throw frozen fruit at the place. The fact was registered at the 20th DP (Vila Isabel) and will be investigated by the Police Station for Racial Crimes and Crimes of Intolerance (Decradi).
02/05/2024 – Agents of the National Force must stay in Rio de Janeiro at least until 05/30/2024. The stay was extended for another 30 days – it was a request from the State Government to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. This is the third renewal made by the federal government, in response to the demand of Governor Cláudio Castro. According to the ministry, the extension aims to support federal and state public security agencies in the preservation of public order. Since 10/16/2023, about 300 men have assisted the operations of the Federal Highway Police (PRF) in patrolling Rio’s federal roads. According to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), in April (2024), 1,096 suspects were detained, and 93 weapons seized. In the first four months of operation in Rio, R$ 6.704 million had already been spent from the public coffers in the payment of daily allowances for agents stationed in the state.
02/05/2024 – Report revealed that 72-year-old stud farm owner and businessman Fábio Ortega was killed with 8 shots on 18 April, in Santa Cruz, West RJ, by a pair that followed him for 17 kilometers. The information was given by the Medical-Legal Institute (IML). The Capital Homicide Precinct (DHC) is investigating whether the crime was linked to the online betting market. DHC agents found that Fábio Ortega would be starting activities related to betting and would put money in this segment.
02/05/2024 – Residents of Morro da Mangueira, North RJ, reported an intense shooting in the region in the late afternoon of Thursday (05/02). According to the command of the Pacification Police Coordination (CPP), criminals from the community of Morro dos Macacos would have started shooting in the direction of Morro da Mangueira. The Military Police say there was no record of a confrontation with their teams. According to the Military Police, agents of the Morro da Mangueira Pacifying Police Unit (UPP/Mangueira) were called.
02/05/2024 – Federal Police (PF) arrested a man who ingested 100 capsules of cocaine at Galeão Airport, on Ilha do Governador, on Thursday night (02). According to the investigations, PF agents seized 1kg from the suspect’s body. He would board a plane bound for Paris, France.
03/05/2024 – An intense shootout frightened residents of Morro dos Macacos, in Vila Isabel, North RJ, during the early hours of this Friday (05/03). The region has been the target of constant clashes due to a dispute over territory between rival criminals. Currently, the community is dominated by the Pure Third Command (TCP), and bandits from the Red Command (CV) are trying to invade to expand the group’s control. According to the Fogo Cruzado app, the shots were heard around 22:00. Residents reported that clashes have been daily. According to the Military Police, agents from the Morro dos Macacos Pacifying Police Unit (UPP/Macacos) were called to check the information of gunshots in the forest area. However, the suspects managed to flee before the teams arrived.
03/05/2024 – The Civil Police arrested two suspects for carrying out the illegal sale of foreign exchange inside Galeão Airport, on Ilha do Governador, on the morning of Friday (03). During the operation, agents from the Rio de Janeiro International Airport Police Station (DAIRJ) seized R$28,000, $20, and an amount in Euros. Operation “Cambio Maleiros” aims to curb irregular exchange rates with a focus on major events that take place this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, especially the concert of Madonna.
04/05/2024 – A suspect was thrown into a dumpster by people on Saturday night (04) on Copacabana Beach, south RJ, hours before Madonna’s concert. According to witnesses, he was trying to carry out thefts at the location. In a video circulating on social media, the suspect can be seen being punched and kicked several times by other men, while being dragged towards the dumpster and thrown into it.
05/05/2024 – A criminal police officer was caught, on Sunday morning (05/05), trying to enter with 3.3 kg of marijuana in the Jonas Lopes de Carvalho Penitentiary, known as Bangu 4, in the Gericinó Complex. According to the Secretariat of Penitentiary Administration (SEAP), the officer was arriving for a shift when other agents noticed that he had a disproportionate volume in his clothes. The suspect tried to flee but was restrained by other officers, who found 10 marijuana tablets hidden in his pants and boots.
05/05/2024 – A young man was shot dead in Anil, in Jacarepaguá, in Rio’s West Zone. The execution took place around 22:00 on Jacarepaguá Road. According to witness reports, men took the young man to the place all tied up and threw him near a bus stop. Then, several shots were fired at Carlos Eduardo, who died on the spot.
05/05/2024 – The Military Police (PM) arrested two suspects and apprehended two teenagers for thefts in the early hours of Sunday (05/05) in the South Zone of Rio. The first pair had committed the crime on Flamengo Beach, while the youths were in Leblon. According to the PM, the teenagers were stealing from pedestrians who were walking through Leblon. In Praia do Flamengo, the two suspects were arrested shortly after committing a robbery.
06/05/2024 – A boy died after being shot in an attempted robbery on the way back from a luau on Flamengo Beach. Personal trainer Luis Felipe Alves do Nascimento, 27, was shot on Sunday morning (05/05) during an attempted robbery at Flamengo Beach and died on Monday morning (05/06). According to the Botafogo battalion, the victim was with friends when two men on a motorcycle approached and announced the robbery. Witnesses reported that one of the criminals approached the physical educator’s girlfriend and demanded that she hand over her cell phone. The woman replied that she didn’t have any devices, which would have angered the bandit. Luis then intervened and was shot.
07/05/2024 – The Narcotics Repression Police Station (DRE) arrested, on Tuesday morning (05/07), a suspect of having traded weapons that were stolen from the Army arsenal in São Paulo. Luiz Cláudio Severo dos Santos was located in the community of Quitungo, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. According to the investigations, he participated in the negotiations for the sale of the stolen weapons in Barueri in September 2023.
07/05/2024 – Agents of the Cargo Robbery and Theft Police Station (DRFC) carried out, on the morning of Tuesday (05/07), an operation against a gang specialized in the theft of high-value cargo. So far, six people have been arrested. According to the investigations, the group is made up of criminals from the Red Command (CV), the largest criminal faction in the state. In one of the robberies, in April of this year, the criminals hijacked a van with employees who were heading to the warehouse of a transport company in Pavuna, North Zone. The group accessed a safe room where about 10,000 rounds of ammunition of different calibers were stored.
07/05/2024 – App driver Leonardo Dias, 35, was arrested on Tuesday (05/07). He is suspected of participating in robberies of tourists in the South zone of Rio. According to the investigations of the Special Delegation for Tourism Support (DEAT), Leonardo started the race and minutes later discovered that the vehicle was broken. When he stopped, a motorcyclist, an accomplice of the driver, appeared armed at the scene, surrendered the passengers, and robbed them. Two Italian women and three French women were victims. In general, the robberies took place at the exit of the Santa Bárbara Tunnel, in Catumbi, and on Avenida Epitácio Pessoa, in Lagoa.
09/05/2024 – An unidentified man was found dead with his hands tied on Sargento Carlos Argemiro Camargo Street, in Anil, West RJ, on Wednesday night (05/09). The region is experiencing an intense wave of violence and has frequently recorded deaths.
09/05/2024 – A criminal was arrested in the early hours of Thursday (05/09) in Copacabana, in Rio’s South Zone. The man has 17 criminal records. According to the Military Police, the boy was arrested after agents received an alert issued by the facial recognition system. The man was captured on Souza Lima Street. Against him, there was a warrant for his arrest for embezzlement. The case was registered in the 12th DP (Copacabana).
10/05/2024 – Two militiamen from the gang commanded by Luiz Antônio da Silva Braga, known as Zinho, suspected of extorting money from van drivers in Campo Grande, West RJ, were arrested by agents of the Civil Police’s Narcotics Repression Precinct (DRE). With the pair, DRE officers found a pistol, with a shaved number and ammunition. Three telephones, a vehicle, and cash were also seized. In addition to a notebook containing the extortion amounts.
10/05/2024 – On Friday (05/10), the Federal Police (PF) arrested three men and three women, aged between 20 and 28, who were transporting cocaine in capsules in the intestine. They were detained at Tom Jobim International Airport in Rio’s North Zone and were trying to travel to London. By Monday morning (05/13), they had already expelled 685 capsules.
10/05/2024 – Chef Felipe Bronze used his profile on a social network to report a robbery that took place on Friday (10/05), in Vila Isabel, North RJ. In Instagram stories, he stated that he reacted to the approach and was assaulted with punches and rifle butts on the head. In a statement, the Civil Police said that the case was registered and investigations are underway.
10/05/2024 – A man who carried out robberies in Taquara, West Zone of Rio, using a stun gun, was arrested on Friday (10/05). After committing robberies in the area, he was restrained by locals, who called the police. According to the Military Police, agents went to verify a robbery on Ariperana Street. The man was detained and taken to the hospital.
12/05/2024 – A street vendor was arrested on Sunday (05/12) for scamming tourists in Lapa, downtown RJ. Michael de Oliveira Azevedo was caught stealing two cards from a Dutchman. After the crime, the street vendor carried out two financial transactions by approximation in a machine, of R$ 1,700. The man, who had 18 cards and three payment machines, was arrested.
16/05/2024 – A bus carrying 28 military police officers from the 2nd Company of the 33rd BPM (Angra dos Reis) suffered an attempted robbery on Thursday night (05/16) on Avenida Beira Mar, in downtown Rio. According to a police officer, three bandits took advantage of the fact that the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light and forced the driver to open the door. At least one suspect was shot and died at the scene. According to the corporation, two off-duty military police officers on board reacted and fired, and a revolver was seized. The other two men fled.
17/05/2024 – Three buses were hijacked and used as barricades on Friday (05/17) in Vila Aliança, West RJ. The bandits wanted to prevent military police from entering the community during an operation. One man was arrested. A 9mm caliber Glock pistol was seized, as well as drugs. Rio Ônibus reported that in the last 12 months, 150 vehicles have been attacked.
Every four hours, on average, a child is raped in the state of Rio. In 2023, 2,209 girls and boys were victims of this crime. In 21% of the cases, the perpetrator was a father, mother, stepfather, or stepmother. Data on child rape (0 to 11 years old) released by the Public Security Institute (ISP) show that eight out of ten victims are girls. Most are black or brown. Of the 2,209 cases, 676, or 31%, occurred in the state capital, followed by Nova Iguaçu, Duque de Caxias, São Gonçalo, and Belford Roxo. In the city of Rio, the five neighborhoods with the most occurrences are in the West Zone: Campo Grande, Santa Cruz, Bangu, Guaratiba, and Jacarepaguá.
According to the Public Security Institute (ISP), the number of stolen vehicles increased by more than 10% across the state of Rio de Janeiro in the first three months of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. Data also showed that only the Penha Police Station, which serves the neighborhoods of Brás de Pina and Olaria, in addition to a stretch of Av. Brazil recorded an increase of more than 135% in the number of vehicle thefts in 2024. Between January and March 2023, 54 vehicle thefts were recorded. In the same period this year, 127 occurrences. In the 23rd DP (Meier), which also handles incidents in the Cachambi and Todos os Santos neighborhoods, the number of car thefts practically doubled. Between January and March 2023, 56 vehicle thefts were recorded. In the same period this year, 109 occurrences, representing an increase of 94.6%. Three other police stations in Rio’s North Zone (20th DP, 21st DP, and 25th DP) also recorded increases in this statistic. In the area of operation of these police stations, 459 vehicle thefts were recorded in the first three months of 2024. An increase of 52.5% compared to 2023.
Residents of Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone report seeing no changes in policing a week after the Military Police announced the ‘Motorcycle Patrol Action Group’ project. According to the corporation, the purpose of putting motorcycles on the streets would be to provide more mobility and agility in responding to incidents. However, the residents did not see any motorcycle patrols from the Military Police. Lately, the region has seen an increase in cases of violence. According to data from Rio’s Public Security Institute, in the first three months of the year, there was a 25% increase in thefts in the area of the Catete Police Station, which serves the Flamengo region. In a statement, the PM said that the project is gradually evolving, and the corporation is working to expand the mobilization capacity and the personnel to compose the teams.
17/05/2024 – On Friday night (17/05), a military police officer (PM) was shot dead after a traffic fight in the Encantado neighborhood, North RJ, at 19:00h. According to reports, he was identified as Lucas Rocha de Brito, 38, who was assigned to the 2nd BPM (Botafogo), was driving his car when he argued with another driver. Upon seeing the armed police officer get out of the vehicle, the man got out of the vehicle and shot at the PM. The shooter fled.
18/05/2024 – Women threw themselves to the ground when they stood in the middle of a shootout between police officers and criminals in Rio de Janeiro. The scene was recorded by a security camera on Saturday (18/05), in Magalhães Bastos, West RJ. In the footage, a resident lies on the ground amid the gunfire. At the time, agents were carrying out an operation to combat a dispute over territory between factions.
19/05/2024 – A man was arrested on Sunday (19/05) for threatening witnesses in a lawsuit in which he is accused of abusing his 2 and 4-year-old grandchildren. The suspicion is that William Ferreira de Araújo Filho abused the children during the period when his daughter went out to work. One of the witnesses told officers that William has a history of sexual abuse. The crime against the grandchildren allegedly happened in early May 2024. According to police, the children’s mother suspected the crime after her 2-year-old daughter came home and complained of pain in her private parts.
21/05/2024 – A police chase, in the early hours of Wednesday (22/05), left two military police officers and two other people dead on Jardim Botânico Street, close to the Saint Hilaire Viaduct, in Jardim Botânico, South RJ. The Military Police vehicle was trying to reach a red car, with two men from Duque de Caxias, in the Baixada Fluminense. At the exit of the Rebouças Tunnel, the vehicles crashed. The chase began after the red car failed to obey a stop order during a checkpoint on the Linha Vermelha.
21/05/2024 – Burning barricades were used to block the Canary Road on Governor’s Island on Wednesday (21/05) morning. Residents reported intense gunfire in the neighborhood, in the Morro do Barbante region of Rio’s North Zone, around 7:00. In a statement, the Military Police confirmed that teams were acting to repress criminal groups that operate in a territorial dispute in the region. Three people were arrested.
22/05/2024 – Military police from the 23rd BPM (Leblon) arrested, on Wednesday (22/05), a man accused of inflicting several scams on taxi passengers in the South Zone region of Rio de Janeiro. According to the police, the suspect was captured by agents on Avenida Afrânio de Melo Franco, in Leblon. Preliminary information indicates that he was posing as a taxi driver and had been carrying out the scams for about six months. With him, 108 credit cards, 16 various machines, and three taxi license plates, as well as a passenger vehicle that was cloned, were seized.
22/05/2024 – Around 23:45 on Wednesday (22/05), drivers passing through the Rebouças Tunnel, towards the South Zone, witnessed a mass robbery. A woman who did not want to be identified said that a group of men were walking around the area intending to steal the cars. According to the Military Police, there is no record of the crime in the battalions.
26/05/2024 – The dawn of Sunday (26/05) was one of intense shooting in two communities in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. According to residents, both incidents were attempted break-ins. In Pedreira, in Costa Barros, residents said drug traffickers from Chapadão tried to take over the favela. According to the Military Police, they seized one rifle at the end of the confrontation. In Vila Isabel, reports say that drug traffickers from Morro São João tried to invade Morro dos Macacos.
26/05/2024 – A 21-year-old man, Rafael Fernandes da Silva, was shot dead in the early hours of Sunday (26/05), on Rua Goiás, in Piedade, North RJ. Preliminary information indicates that the young man was killed after a shooting attack by criminals who work in drug trafficking in the region. The Capital Homicide Precinct (DHC) is investigating the crime.
27/05/2024 – On Monday (27/05), the Military Police carried out an operation in Complexo da Maré, in Rio’s North Zone. According to the Military Police, teams from the Special Operations Battalions (BOPE) and the Special Roads Policing (BPVE) battalions carried out the operation in Maré. The corporation said that the operation aims to crack down on vehicle and cargo theft gangs that operate in the region. There were no reports of injuries.
27/05/2024 – The Rio das Pedras favela, in the West Zone of the capital, was the scene of a dispute between the militia that controls the region and the Red Command, the largest drug trafficking faction in the state. In the early hours of Monday (27/05), another intense shooting took place. Videos taken by residents show tracer bullets fired amid the clash.
28/05/2024 – The body of an 11-year-old girl was found inside a dumpster on Ilha do Governador, North Zone of Rio, on Tuesday afternoon (28/05). The victim was last seen walking with her ex-stepmother’s brother on Monday (27/05). The corpse was on Berna Street, in the Guarabu community, in the Tauá neighborhood. According to the Military Police, agents from the 17th BPM (Ilha do Governador) were called to the scene and found the body in the back of a garbage collection truck. The suspect was arrested.
28/05/2024 – On Tuesday (28/05), the Military Police carried out operations in Morro da Fé, in Complexo da Penha, and the communities of Juramento and Juramentinho, all in the North Zone of Rio. There were shootouts in the region. According to the PM, the teams aimed to curb the movement of criminals who participate in territorial disputes in different parts of the capital and to repress vehicle and cargo thefts. There were no reports of injuries. There were also no arrests and seizures.
29/05/2024 – The Military Police seized an arsenal during an operation on Wednesday morning (05/29) in Vila Vintém, West Zone of Rio. Agents of the 14th BPM (Bangu) found 60 grenades, 10 pistols, 400 magazines, 15 silencers, and 17,000 bullets. The arsenal was located when agents were searching for an alley in Travessa do Imperador. No one was arrested.
29/05/2024 – A man was arrested in Jacarepaguá, in Rio’s West Zone, on Wednesday (29/05), for the rape of his daughter. According to the young woman, now 22 years old, the abuse began when she was 7 years old. Earlier this month, after her mother’s birthday, she was raped by her father after she fell asleep on the couch. After this episode, the young woman dared to report the crime. The mother, who had known about the abuse since the girl was 16, was also charged.
TRENDS & ADVICE
- During summer months, mass robberies and thefts in touristic spots become the most prevalent security risks in Rio de Janeiro, specially in the city’s South Zone.
- Crowded beaches and its vicinities should be avoided.
- Avoid any display of wealth (jewelry, cell phones), but always carry a small amount of money (R$50) to hand over to muggers.
- In case of robbery: cooperate, do not try to run after the assailant as he or she might not be alone or turn violent.
- In the case of being in the immediate vicinity of a shootout:
- Lay on the ground and seek cover.
- When it is safe to do so, find the nearest building, stay away from windows, do not move unless you are sure that the gunfire has ended.
- Avoid walking alone in poorly lit areas or beaches after nightfall. Avoid walking through tunnels.
- Avoid the vicinity of crime-prone areas such as ‘communities’ (so-called ‘favelas’) and lower-income neighborhoods.
- Be always cautious, even in the areas considered safe such as Downtown, Botafogo, Copacabana and Ipanema. Exercise caution in the Centro during the day and avoid the area after nightfall and on Sundays.
- Be careful when using the GPS as they may lead you to unsafe areas controlled by organized crime. Prefere Cooperative taxis instead of driving yourself.
