A Republican congressman on Wednesday said some lawmakers are so fearful about crime in the District of Columbia, they’ve been sleeping in the U.S. Capitol.

Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison said on radio’s “Todd Starnes Show” that he and other legislators hunker down in their Capitol Hill offices because the city has become “very dangerous” after dark.

“I don’t want to walk back and forth from an apartment in D.C. at night or in the morning — early morning — to get to work,” Mr. Burlison said. “It’s not a safe environment.”

The congressman also pointed out the concerns over carjackings after Rep. Henry Cuellar, Texas Democrat, had his car stolen at gunpoint in the Navy Yard neighborhood this week.

Mr. Burlison said, “It’s insane to even own a car in D.C. because wherever you park, it is going to cost you a fortune and it’s likely to get broken into and you’re likely to get carjacked.”

D.C. police data shows a record-high 760 carjackings have been reported in the city this year — more than double the 360 documented during the same period last year.

SEE ALSO: Cariackers in D.C. smash 2002 record, reach every part of capital

The violent car thefts in D.C. also smash 2022’s end-of-year total of 484 carjackings, the previous record high for the nation’s capital.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.