CLEVELAND — Car thefts in Cleveland have been on the rise, with Kias and Hyundais serving as the main targets.
According to data from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, car thefts have doubled from 2022 to 2023.
A report from Cleveland.com showed that from January to June of this year, 2,937 cars were stolen, compared to 1,479 during the same time period in 2022
"That's 500 every month, that's like 16 or 17 a day," said John Tucker, Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer crime reporter.
Tucker dug into the issue and said the thefts aren't just Kias and Hyundais, and the worst areas are downtown Cleveland and the Old Brooklyn neighborhood.
"Chevys and Fords account for the most popular model of car being stolen over the last six months, 14% each, both models are on the rise in terms of theft," Tucker said.
It's a trend that Megan Kyea is familiar with.
"Hopefully I never go through that again, hopefully no one has to," said Kyea.
3News first talked to Kyea after her Kia was stolen back in November in the West Bank of the Flats while she was at work. Police found it two weeks later, completely trashed. Kyea said she waited months for parts with no end in sight on if or when it could get fixed.
Her insurance company and repair shop both said there wasn't much else they could do because of the drastic increase of car thefts.
So she got creative and found a replacement window on her own.
"It was actually about $500 to get one on Ebay and I had to scour online for weeks to get it," Kyea said.
She got the part just so she could trade it in for a different car.
"I was very worried that it would be stolen again, having kids and stuff I was just worried that we were going to go grocery shopping or something and come out and the car would be gone," Kyea said.
3News reached out to Cleveland police to follow up on the issue. A spokesperson shared this statement:
"The City of Cleveland, similar to cities across the nation, continues to experience an uptick in auto thefts. The uptick in auto thefts is directly related to Kia and Hyundai vehicles. Kia and Hyundai vehicles are targets for auto thefts due to the simplicity of bypassing the ignition systems. The City has made it clear they will hold these auto manufacturers accountable by filing a federal lawsuit against them earlier this year. Presently, 55% of car thefts in 2023 have been Kia and Hyundai vehicles 38% being Kias and 17% being Hyundais."
The Cleveland Division of Police is also encouraging residents to
- Not leave running vehicles unattended.
- Lock the doors of vehicles when the vehicle is not in use.
- Utilize tracing tags to assist with locating vehicles.
- Call 911 if immediate police assistance is needed.
- Sign up for SAFE SMART CLE – the City’s camera-sharing access program. Residents can register at this site.
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