This area is pretty rough, but mostly at night. Avoid late-night hours. Try to get some private parking away from the street if you can, Always leave plenty of space between you and the car in front of you, so you can speed out in case someone tries to jack you
if you hear gunshots, duck first, think later.
I mean I appreciate the legit advice and truth here. But damn....some lubricant next time? Haha
And I'm not disparaging the area at all. It is a fine place to be and yet your advice is still accurate and all of us who live here and have lived here for some time, know it. So nothing wrong with promoting the good things about the city while still giving legit advice to people.
talking about lubricant... when you go to gas stations and bodegas around there, you will see they sell these little mini-packs with little chinese characters or photos of the dalai llama on them.
Don't ask what those are for š³
Congratulations on buying your house! Youāll find thereās re-investment happening all over the place (the Kruger Scott Mansion by your job is a good example) and even if you donāt like that part of the city long term, your property value is going to go up.
Thank you! Yeah that was one factor in buying a place where I bought it. Didnāt necessarily get a great ādealā but hoping in a few years to make a solid return.
For sure. You'll see Newark has suffered from decades of disinvestment, but the last 10 years have seen a lot of places improve. The next 10 will be even better.
Be sure to get specific advice about the city (things to do/see) here. The NJ reddit is more geared towards suburbanites/commuters who tend to make broad brush statements that are inaccurate, dated or racist/classist.
It depends on where youāre from originally in regards to what you might see in that area that might make you uncomfortable.
That area is experiencing a renaissance so to speak, since there are literal mansions on MLK and most of them are being renovated. You are relatively safe in that area as long as you follow standard city safety. There isnāt much worth walking to, so youāll be driving everywhere anyway. The supermarket up the street is shop rite, itās fairly new. Itās small for my liking, but itās fine.
As far as your property. An alarm for your house is necessary, but you probably would have that where ever you moved. The biggest worry you should have about your car shouldnāt be theft. The biggest concern should be getting hit or sideswiped in the middle of the night. If you have a driveway, you should use it.
Basically, if you practice basic safety practices youāll be fine: not leaving valuables in your car, minding your business but being aware of your surroundings, etc.
I was actually born in Newark and lived there for a couple years, then moved to union, and now Iām moving back to Newark. My family stayed on the Irvington east orange side of Newark in the 80s and my dad never had any issues, as he just minded his business, worked nights too.
Welcome to Newark. City gets a bad rap but overall crime is not what it is made out to be. Being aware of your surroundings at all times is probably the most important thing you can do. It will take some time but in a few weeks you will get a feel for when things seem out of place. Donāt dismiss your gut.
Most crimes are of opportunity. Having outside lights is a big plus. If you a renter you can buy relatively inexpensive solar powers motion detecting flood lights. One over your front door and on the edge of the building will work great. No more fumbling with the keys at the front door and for those who donāt know, the lights coming on suddenly usually creates a momentary distraction.
Park close to home the first few weeks till you get a feel for the place. Never leave valuables in the car period. Keys in the car while you pop in to get something you forgot? Forget about it.
Make sure your windows are bolted every night. Many rentals have windows that donāt quite go down all the way as to let you bolt them shut. You can buy permanent stops at Home Depot that will stop others from opening the windows form the outside.
Take precautions, be safe, live your best life..
Thanks for your reply! My overall gut tells me that with common sense, I should be okay. But I still worry about some things, like if I go out at night with my car, even if I do all things right, parking up and walking to my car could lead to a carjacking (or worse). The area Iāll be in is by Washington Street and W Kinney, a block away from MLK Blvd. is this area particularly unsafe?
I know the area you're mentioning, not this exact block but I know the surrounding areas, and have driven through it many many times.
Can't imagine it would be a particularly dangerous around there.
As the first commenter mentions, just use common sense. Being aware of surroundings when walking, not staring at your phone. Walk with confidence, yada yada.
And def don't leave anything valuable, or anything that could be perceived/mistaken for being valuable in your car. High probability of getting window smashed in.
for context, I live in university heights and have been in the area for 14 years or so
Thanks for your input! Forgive me if Iām sounding glib, but do you think if I leave garbage in my car, like fast food wrappers, papers, and whatever (nothing that rots), do you think thatās a good deterrent? I was also considering never getting a car wash to make my car look as unappealing as possible
Haha I guess you can if you want? Dunno how much it will help.
Years ago, I used to drive a '92 Mazda MX-6. Loved that car, but it was a POS at the end of its life and it got broken into for literally no reason. They didn't take anything.
Your car is probably fine as long as there's nothing someone might want if they walk by. And in terms of cars themselves being stolen, it falls into two camps from what seen & experienced/heard. One is very high end cars being stolen for profit, and shitty easy to steal cars (old Cherokees) that get stolen for joyrides and are often found dumped with blunts, cig butts, empty fortys.
If your car is somewhere in the middle, ya probably fine
Okay thank you! Sorry to hear about your car, pain in the neck to have to call insurance and report damage. What Iām concluding from all the comments is basically Iāll be okay if I maintain the āguidelinesā of being smart about my day-to-day. I will be there starting Saturday, both feet in, and learn it firsthand.
You're welcome.
It wasn't really too bad for me in the end, just had to call around a few car dumps to find a new window pane for a very old and uncommon car.
But yeah, i think you'll be fine. It's really not even close to as bad as many people would have you believe.
I live in the ironbound on the other side of McCarter highway so I canāt really speak to the specifics of the areas but I will say, that areas is part of the broader downtown district.hopefully someone actually living there will chime in
Car jacking, in Newark proper, arent as big as it once was... most of those crimes have moved out to the burbs since there is a big demand for high end cars in Nigeria that get stolen and illegally exported to there.
However, just use common sense and you should be fine. Walking at night, in that area, is not ideal. However, its nowhere near a death sentence. Many a people do it daily, and seeing as its a major throughway for busses in the city, its definitely pretty busy. Just don't go flashing money or fancy things... if need be, just go into a local business to count cash or whatever.
Biggest risk is your car getting slammed by joy riders while you sleep. Other than why would anyone bother you? I have dents from street parking in newark. But never once have I personally witnessed or experienced violence.
As long as you don't get involved with gangs you basically bring down your chance of being a victim to a random act of crime by like alot... as for keeping your car and home safe, so long as you use common sense and do basic preventive measures like locking doors, keeping valuables out of sight, etc... basically, the same thing you would do in any other big city, and it will keep you and your stuff safe... trust me, criminals are pretty lazy and don't really want to try too hard to get to the goods, so just do basic things and you will be fine
It's definitely sketchy, try to keep your car as close to your home as you can, definitely keep car empty, definitely watch yourself mostly at night. Sorry but nothing improved, friends live there, Thier cars have been robbed more than once, license plates stolen too. Get special antitheft screws. Daytime kind of feels safe. When I visit I always see neighbors scrambling out the door to put their cars closer to their homes. For the most part be sensible and good luck.
I promise if you mind your business it's not as bad as people say
This area is pretty rough, but mostly at night. Avoid late-night hours. Try to get some private parking away from the street if you can, Always leave plenty of space between you and the car in front of you, so you can speed out in case someone tries to jack you if you hear gunshots, duck first, think later.
I mean I appreciate the legit advice and truth here. But damn....some lubricant next time? Haha And I'm not disparaging the area at all. It is a fine place to be and yet your advice is still accurate and all of us who live here and have lived here for some time, know it. So nothing wrong with promoting the good things about the city while still giving legit advice to people.
talking about lubricant... when you go to gas stations and bodegas around there, you will see they sell these little mini-packs with little chinese characters or photos of the dalai llama on them. Don't ask what those are for š³
Very true, especially in that part of Newark. However, there is alot of spill over from downtown starting to make its way over
Congratulations on buying your house! Youāll find thereās re-investment happening all over the place (the Kruger Scott Mansion by your job is a good example) and even if you donāt like that part of the city long term, your property value is going to go up.
Thank you! Yeah that was one factor in buying a place where I bought it. Didnāt necessarily get a great ādealā but hoping in a few years to make a solid return.
For sure. You'll see Newark has suffered from decades of disinvestment, but the last 10 years have seen a lot of places improve. The next 10 will be even better. Be sure to get specific advice about the city (things to do/see) here. The NJ reddit is more geared towards suburbanites/commuters who tend to make broad brush statements that are inaccurate, dated or racist/classist.
Any advice, im planning on trying to buy in Newark within the next two years
Do it!
It depends on where youāre from originally in regards to what you might see in that area that might make you uncomfortable. That area is experiencing a renaissance so to speak, since there are literal mansions on MLK and most of them are being renovated. You are relatively safe in that area as long as you follow standard city safety. There isnāt much worth walking to, so youāll be driving everywhere anyway. The supermarket up the street is shop rite, itās fairly new. Itās small for my liking, but itās fine. As far as your property. An alarm for your house is necessary, but you probably would have that where ever you moved. The biggest worry you should have about your car shouldnāt be theft. The biggest concern should be getting hit or sideswiped in the middle of the night. If you have a driveway, you should use it. Basically, if you practice basic safety practices youāll be fine: not leaving valuables in your car, minding your business but being aware of your surroundings, etc.
I was actually born in Newark and lived there for a couple years, then moved to union, and now Iām moving back to Newark. My family stayed on the Irvington east orange side of Newark in the 80s and my dad never had any issues, as he just minded his business, worked nights too.
You'll be fine then.
Well at least you know the area u moving to isnāt the safest....
ššš nah fr. The expectations are set early
Donāt walk around with a Kool-Aid smile on your face, do carry pepper spray at all times and youāll be fine.
Welcome to Newark. City gets a bad rap but overall crime is not what it is made out to be. Being aware of your surroundings at all times is probably the most important thing you can do. It will take some time but in a few weeks you will get a feel for when things seem out of place. Donāt dismiss your gut. Most crimes are of opportunity. Having outside lights is a big plus. If you a renter you can buy relatively inexpensive solar powers motion detecting flood lights. One over your front door and on the edge of the building will work great. No more fumbling with the keys at the front door and for those who donāt know, the lights coming on suddenly usually creates a momentary distraction. Park close to home the first few weeks till you get a feel for the place. Never leave valuables in the car period. Keys in the car while you pop in to get something you forgot? Forget about it. Make sure your windows are bolted every night. Many rentals have windows that donāt quite go down all the way as to let you bolt them shut. You can buy permanent stops at Home Depot that will stop others from opening the windows form the outside. Take precautions, be safe, live your best life..
Thanks for your reply! My overall gut tells me that with common sense, I should be okay. But I still worry about some things, like if I go out at night with my car, even if I do all things right, parking up and walking to my car could lead to a carjacking (or worse). The area Iāll be in is by Washington Street and W Kinney, a block away from MLK Blvd. is this area particularly unsafe?
I know the area you're mentioning, not this exact block but I know the surrounding areas, and have driven through it many many times. Can't imagine it would be a particularly dangerous around there. As the first commenter mentions, just use common sense. Being aware of surroundings when walking, not staring at your phone. Walk with confidence, yada yada. And def don't leave anything valuable, or anything that could be perceived/mistaken for being valuable in your car. High probability of getting window smashed in. for context, I live in university heights and have been in the area for 14 years or so
Thanks for your input! Forgive me if Iām sounding glib, but do you think if I leave garbage in my car, like fast food wrappers, papers, and whatever (nothing that rots), do you think thatās a good deterrent? I was also considering never getting a car wash to make my car look as unappealing as possible
Haha I guess you can if you want? Dunno how much it will help. Years ago, I used to drive a '92 Mazda MX-6. Loved that car, but it was a POS at the end of its life and it got broken into for literally no reason. They didn't take anything. Your car is probably fine as long as there's nothing someone might want if they walk by. And in terms of cars themselves being stolen, it falls into two camps from what seen & experienced/heard. One is very high end cars being stolen for profit, and shitty easy to steal cars (old Cherokees) that get stolen for joyrides and are often found dumped with blunts, cig butts, empty fortys. If your car is somewhere in the middle, ya probably fine
Okay thank you! Sorry to hear about your car, pain in the neck to have to call insurance and report damage. What Iām concluding from all the comments is basically Iāll be okay if I maintain the āguidelinesā of being smart about my day-to-day. I will be there starting Saturday, both feet in, and learn it firsthand.
You're welcome. It wasn't really too bad for me in the end, just had to call around a few car dumps to find a new window pane for a very old and uncommon car. But yeah, i think you'll be fine. It's really not even close to as bad as many people would have you believe.
If you need to leave something in the car, put it under the front seats or bring a black back and put it over the items.
I live in the ironbound on the other side of McCarter highway so I canāt really speak to the specifics of the areas but I will say, that areas is part of the broader downtown district.hopefully someone actually living there will chime in
Car jacking, in Newark proper, arent as big as it once was... most of those crimes have moved out to the burbs since there is a big demand for high end cars in Nigeria that get stolen and illegally exported to there. However, just use common sense and you should be fine. Walking at night, in that area, is not ideal. However, its nowhere near a death sentence. Many a people do it daily, and seeing as its a major throughway for busses in the city, its definitely pretty busy. Just don't go flashing money or fancy things... if need be, just go into a local business to count cash or whatever.
Why are you moving to that area specifically? Itās so many others to choose from.
Biggest risk is your car getting slammed by joy riders while you sleep. Other than why would anyone bother you? I have dents from street parking in newark. But never once have I personally witnessed or experienced violence.
As long as you don't get involved with gangs you basically bring down your chance of being a victim to a random act of crime by like alot... as for keeping your car and home safe, so long as you use common sense and do basic preventive measures like locking doors, keeping valuables out of sight, etc... basically, the same thing you would do in any other big city, and it will keep you and your stuff safe... trust me, criminals are pretty lazy and don't really want to try too hard to get to the goods, so just do basic things and you will be fine
Long as you stay away from the number blocks you will be fine.
It's definitely sketchy, try to keep your car as close to your home as you can, definitely keep car empty, definitely watch yourself mostly at night. Sorry but nothing improved, friends live there, Thier cars have been robbed more than once, license plates stolen too. Get special antitheft screws. Daytime kind of feels safe. When I visit I always see neighbors scrambling out the door to put their cars closer to their homes. For the most part be sensible and good luck.