Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Kia and Hyundai vehicles from the early 2000s have been the targets of thieves, in part because of a flaw that made stealing them easy.
There is also a social media challenge 'out there' that has increased the rate of thefts. That challenge, in fact, may also have played a factor in the tragic accident on the merge from the Kensington to Route 198 in Buffalo this week that claimed the lives of four teenagers.
The Car Coach Lauren Fix says there was a defect in Kias and Hyundais from the early 2000s. "There was the ability to break into them by taking the plastic off from underneath the steering column. And you could use a simple tool to start the vehicle," says Fix. She notes there was a rash of thefts posted to Tik Tok in the Midwest and then started to spread around the country. She says Kia and Hyundai have both come up with solutions to repair those cars, so if you own one of them, get those repairs if you haven't done so already.
Fix says social media causes some good things and some bad things. "One of the bad things that causes things to become viral. So when one person sees somebody else doing it, how easy it is they decide that they want to give it a try. And the more vehicles they steal, and of course they damage them," adds Fix. She notes when someone makes it a contest or a competition, that's when things just start to get ugly.
Car thefts have kept Amherst Police busy recently. In one two-day span, Lt. Edgar Walker says three cars were stolen. "Over the last year or so we've had a number of vehicles stolen, which would include those (Kias and Hyundais)," says Walker.
Cheektowaga Police Detective Chris Chojnacki says social media videos showing how to steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles have spurred auto thefts. "It's concerning, and it's something that I wish could be monitored. But that's the way the world is now," says Chojnacki.
Chojnacki says there's a bigger problem than social media. He says that's the lack of severe punishment for thieves. "These kids feel emboldened to go out and take these cars, knowing that the penalties are slim to none," explains Chojnacki. "We've had cases where people have been arrested numerous times for the same thing, and they're just being released and put into the system." He says until there's a penalty with teeth, thieves will keep doing it.
Chojnacki adds car thieves are driving them at high rates of speed, making it next to impossible for police to pursue them. "In a lot of cases, you're dealing with kids that aren't experienced drivers. They don't know how to drive, they can't negotiate turns. I would say that 90% of the stolen vehicles that we get that are recovered, have front end damage and curb damage to the wheels because they just don't know how to drive," says Chojnacki. He believes that was the case in this week's fatal crash on the 33.
Police say most car thefts are crimes of opportunity. Fix recommends parking in a garage, or park it in a well lit area where there's a lot of traffic.
