NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — 10 On Your Side has been telling you about the rash of car thefts that’s plagued the country after TikTok videos acted as instruction books for criminals.
The ease of stealing Kias and Hyundais hit two Norfolk families hard.
One family had their Kia stolen twice and another had theirs broken into multiple times.
A family in Chesapeake Gardens woke up Monday morning to their 2021 silver Kia Rio missing. They told us off camera, it was the second time it had been stolen. After the first time, they put an Apple airtag inside and upgraded the car’s software. However, the owner believes that upgrade didn’t work as the locked car was missing from outside his home.
Three days later, a family two miles down the road in Colonial Heights found their Kia broken into with extensive damage.
“You can’t even drive it. You can’t put the key in,” said Dannette Gunning of Norfolk.
Every day, Dannette Gunning’s daughter Tara checks the family’s Ring camera before heading to work. On Thursday morning, she noticed two men on video, one in red, the other in black, running from her car.
“They were either teenagers or in their 20s maybe but they were young,” Gunning recalled.
They were in the process of stealing Tara’s car when the driveway light kicked on.
“I think he saw that the light was on and then he took off down this way. We had literally just went to bed at 12 a.m. and this happened at 1:22 a.m.,” Gunning explained.
The family’s 2013 Kia Sportage is now undriveable.
“I think they jimmied the door,” Gunning said. “They pulled that console up and then they messed up the ignition to the point that she couldn’t put her key in it.”
Gunning and her daughter are working to get a steering wheel lock from Norfolk police and have filed a claim with their insurance company to tow and repair the car. In the meantime, Gunning has parked her car behind her daughter’s to block it in and is installing more security around the property.
The Gunning’s predicament isn’t unique. Norfolk police chief Mark Talbot has said while homicides are down in the city, property crimes are on the rise. Last year the city had 512 vehicles stolen. So far this year, more than 666 have been stolen.
It’s been a year since the “Kia Boyz” trend on social media showed people how to steal cars with USB cables and a screwdriver, specifically targeting 2011 to 2022 Kias and Hyundais due to a design flaw. Police say the problem is getting worse.
If your vehicle falls into this category, you can contact your dealership to update the car’s security software.
The Norfolk Police Department provides free steering wheel locks to Kia and Hyundai owners. You can make an appointment to pick one up by calling 757-664-3277.
