OAN's Taylor Tinsley
1:02 PM – Wednesday, January 24, 2023
Last year, several cities saw a sharp increase in car thefts.
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Chicago, Illinois reported 29,063 car thefts in 2023.
This represents a 26% increase compared to 2022, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. This is also the highest amount recorded since Chicago began recording crimes online in 2001.
While auto thefts reached an all-time high, the city's auto theft arrest rate hit a historic low of 2.6%.
Texas also saw a significant increase in car thefts. Dallas reported a 40% increase in more than 18,000 incidents.
Austin police have investigated 10,234 car thefts since January 2022, with an average clearance rate of 8%.
San Antonio also saw a 53% spike.
In Oakland, California, the number of car thefts is the highest in more than a decade. The city reported more than 14,700 incidents in 2023. This is a 44% increase compared to 2022.
Kia and Hyundai thefts have jumped 1,000% since 2020, according to data from the Highway Loss Data Institute.
Notably, of the more than 10,000 vehicles reported stolen in Austin, 2,370 were Kias and Hyundais.
Investigators say the nationwide increase is related to a viral TikTok video in which thieves known as the self-proclaimed “Kia Boys” demonstrated how easy it is to steal vehicles by using USB cables as keys. I think there is a possibility that it is.
Both companies have developed software to detect “fake keys,” but thefts are still increasing exponentially.
Not all models have the update, so owners are advised not to rely solely on its functionality.
Lawmakers in Austin, Texas, recently passed a resolution asking the federal government to recall unprotected vehicles.
City Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes said this is a “public safety issue.”
“We want to educate our residents about the vulnerabilities of owning and operating Kia and Hyundai vehicles and how unsafe they are and how vulnerable they are to theft,” Fuentes told KXAN. “I want to draw attention to this,” he said.
New York City, Baltimore, and Seattle passed similar resolutions.
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