NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Police have arrested six New Jersey teens in connection to an attempted car theft spree late last month.
Radnor police responded to a call the morning of Feb. 24 about people wearing ski masks, attempting to break into cars at an apartment complex on Lancaster Avenue near Pembroke Avenue.
When officers arrived at the scene, they spotted two of the suspects running into a nearby idling vehicle, said Radnor Police Sergeant Brady McHale.
McHale says that vehicle took off and crashed a short while later on Lancaster Avenue near the entrance to I-476. That’s when four suspects got out of the car and ran into the woods.
“We flushed out the area where three juvenile females from Camden County were taken into custody,” he said.
A fourth fleeing suspect was seen covered in mud by a neighbor on their ring camera. They reported this sighting to police who arrested him not long after.
The other two members who weren’t in the car were also arrested that night when Camden County police called Radnor police with a tip.
Authorities say those apprehended are all between 13 and 16 years old. One of the teens was known to run with the “Kia Boys.”
“This is a TikTok trend. They’ve gained their notoriety on TikTok because they can actually manipulate steering wheels of vehicles, specifically Hyundai and Kia model cars, and start the cars, ultimately stealing them,” McHale said.
He says they manipulate the steering column with a tool like a screwdriver, then use the USB port to power the car.
“It’s our belief that they take the cars to a central location where another individual involved in the so-called gang then picks it up where it’s more than likely taken to a chop shop or, depending on the value of the car, maybe even put in a shipping container and sent somewhere for profit,” McHale added.