On the afternoon of Oct. 2, Laura Payne walked from her home in South Philadelphia to a nearby block where she parked her 2020 Honda CR-V, only to discover it was gone.
Payne, 38, checked her phone app on the Apple AirTag GPS device she had left in her glove box for a tow truck and found that her SUV was in Connecticut, not just a few blocks away. I found out that
Payne is one of tens of thousands of Philadelphians who have had their vehicles stolen in the city this year, making it the worst year for car thefts since at least 2006.
Auto thefts in Philadelphia have increased more than 136% since 2006, with 8,916 thefts that year rising to a whopping 21,111 thefts in the past 11 months, according to Philadelphia Police Department data.
The number of vehicle thefts reached its lowest point in the past 17 years at 1,501 in 2017. The increase from that low point to this year’s high point is significant: an increase of more than 1,306%.
More than 94,000 cars have been stolen since 2006, with 35% of them occurring in 2022 and the first 11 months of this year, according to a police database.
In the past 17 years, the number of vehicle thefts has exceeded 9,000 only twice. Last year he had 11,818 cases and this year he had over 21,000 cases.
In August this year, there were an average of 84 thefts per day. And since 2016, there have been eight days in which more than 100 vehicles were stolen, all in July or August of this year.
Police said these numbers do not include thefts at gunpoint.
Lt. Jason Smith of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit declined to comment for this article, but said the numbers are “overwhelming” and that there are viral social media campaigns in which young people steal vehicles and film themselves stealing vehicles. He pointed out the problem with the media.
Other experts say changing law enforcement practices and increasingly tech-savvy thieves since the pandemic are also contributing to the nationwide carjacking epidemic.
kia boys challenge
For the past few years, the Kia Boyz Challenge, a TikTok trend originating from Milwaukee, takes advantage of the lack of anti-theft features on turnkey Kia and Hyundai vehicles and shows viewers how to steal a vehicle with just a USB cord and a screwdriver. It quickly spread because it taught people. Across the country, Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a consumer protection nonprofit, said:
Brooks said the challenge asks viewers to steal a Kias or Hyundai and post videos of the theft and fun, primarily on TikTok. Brooks said the number of vehicle thefts nationwide is “jumping” every year due to social media challenges.
In Philadelphia, these jumps have been consistently large.
According to police data, of the 19,589 thefts up to November 9, more than 61% of the stolen vehicles were Hyundais or Kias.
“There are groups on social media that are dedicated to outsmarting each other in car theft,” Brooks said. “For some people, it’s almost a game or a competition.”
The Center for Auto Safety expressed concern over Kia Motors and Hyundai Motors’ response to the nationwide increase in thefts.
Earlier this year, Philadelphia police discontinued a steering wheel lock distribution program offered by Kia and Hyundai Motors to deter break-ins after social media issues led to a spike in thefts from the car brand.
The department discontinued the program due to liability concerns after four commanders from four police precincts requested lock-ups without permission from higher-level commanders.
What can you do to prevent your vehicle from being stolen?
Brooks said that until 2019, vehicle theft nationwide was “about as low as it’s ever been.”
Social media challenges and traffic enforcement cuts that began during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to vehicle thefts becoming more prevalent across the country, including in Atlanta, Chicago and dozens of other U.S. cities, according to Motherboard. Theft rates are reportedly rising rapidly in major cities.
“It’s happening everywhere,” Brooks said.
According to Brooks, there are two solutions.
As cars become less mechanical and more reliant on computer technology, the risk of hacking also increases, he said.
He said the federal government needs to legislate more robust cybersecurity and vehicle theft prevention to stem the rise in thefts. Without that, thefts are likely to continue to rise, he said.
“Because hackers never stop advancing,” he says.
Additionally, NPR reports that traffic enforcement by local police departments has declined across the country due to staffing shortages and officers prioritizing more urgent calls.
The Philadelphia Police Department continues to grapple with significant staffing shortages, plagued by low hiring numbers and a wave of retirements and resignations.
For Payne, who works in health care administration, the experience of having her SUV stolen was disorienting and felt like her privacy had been invaded.
Air tags showed her SUV traveling through North Jersey and Connecticut and talking to more than 10 different law enforcement agencies. Finally, the air tag was tracked back to a warehouse in Passaic, New Jersey, where officers discovered it taped to the bed of a wholesale food delivery truck.
Her car is gone forever.
With help from his insurance company, Payne was able to purchase a new car with security as his top priority. She recently purchased her Nissan SUV, which has a built-in tracking system that thieves cannot remove.
However, fear and anxiety remain.
“This is so violating and the more I think about it, the more I get scared,” she said. “Was someone watching me because it got stolen as soon as I parked it?” Was someone waiting there? Do they know who I am, did they see me coming home? All these questions definitely crossed my mind. ”