Police In Montgomery County Battle TikTok Trend Leading To Stolen Cars

AP Photo/Al Behrman

A viral TikTok challenge started by the ‘Kia Boyz’ has hit Montgomery County.

The trend has been popping up all over the United States thanks to the viral videos that are being posted on TikTok. The videos are showing two different things to users. First is how to use a USB cable to basically hotwire a Kia vehicle, and the second is users uploading videos of themselves stealing cars.

The thefts usually end up with the vehicle being trashed by the joyriders, and despite many of these thefts being documented on TikTok, the trend continues to grow. The rise in automobile thefts across the greater Dayton area has even led to a specialized task force being formed.

Here's a look inside our automobile theft suppression operation briefing. Law enforcement agencies from across the county are coming together to combat this ongoing problem. Several operations have already been conducted and more are planned as well. pic.twitter.com/nJVMCY333y

— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) November 1, 2022

The task force has started to see an immediate impact as the number of car thefts has dropped from 199 in July to 168 in October. I know that 168 stolen cars in a month seems like a lot, and that’s because it is. The TikTok trend is not to be blamed for all of the thefts, but it definitely influenced the uptick recently.

If you look at the auto theft incident map from the DPD, you can see that there are an alarming amount. The map below shows 46 total reports for the last week of October.

The main target of the thieves are Kia and Hyundai cars, but it’s important to take precautions no matter what kind of car you drive. The DPD has offered up the following tips to help make sure you are not the next victim.