Among sport-utility vehicles and crossovers, thieves seem to love stealing the Ford Escape and Chevrolet Tahoe, according to a new theft list released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The nonprofit said that nearly 20,000 late-model SUVs and crossovers were stolen in the U.S. between 2008 and the first half of 2012, with 1,014 Escape and 856 Tahoe models reported to insurance companies as stolen. Only 2009-2011 model-year vehicles were included.

Going down the rest of the list, in order of most stolen: the Toyota RAV4, with 801 thefts, Ford Edge, Dodge Journey, Honda CR-V, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Rogue and Nissan Murano, with 473 thefts.

The Cadillac Escalade, which was reported by another insurance organization, the Highway Loss Data Institute, remains the vehicle most likely to be reported stolen, at more than 10 per 1,000 registered vehicles. But the NICB says that among all reported thefts, the Escalade ranks below the top 10 most stolen cars, since there are plenty more Honda Accord sedans than $80,000 Escalade trucks roaming American roads.

In a statement that will surprise no one, the NICB said thieves in the New York-New Jersey area stole the most SUVs in the country, at 12 percent of the 19,961 total vehicles. The greater areas of Los Angeles and Detroit ranked second and third, respectively. Among states, California ranked highest for SUV thefts, trailed by Texas and Florida. In Vermont, Maine and North Dakota, fewer than 10 SUVs were stolen in the four-and-a-half year period.

Then there are the vehicles that were never found. Among all reported thefts, the Wrangler went on permanent vacation 184 times, followed by the Tahoe, 159; RAV4, 138; and Toyota Highlander, 120. The Escalade ranked fifth at 108 and still lured plenty of criminals, with 459 total thefts. They got away most often in New York, Texas and California. In total, 15 percent of all stolen SUVs were never found.

Lock you doors. And Wrangler owners, please, get a hardtop.

[Source: NICB]