WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Maryland-based tow trucker Beebo Abrish has been using TikTok to document crimes involving cars across the DMV region.
Abrish started using the social media app in 2019, but it was not until the pandemic that he began to use the platform to warn drivers about theft involving car rims, airbags, and even vehicle doors.
His latest videos have documented a rising trend seen across the nation, the theft of Kia and Hyundai cars.
"I think there might be a problem, Kia, Hyundai, Hyundai, Kia," says Abrish in his video posted on his social media accounts. He shows a series of cars on a lot, all with the same ignition issues and some with broken windows.
Police say Kia and Hyundai models made between 2010 and 2021, without a push button to start, are being hot wired with the use of a USB cable.
Investigators started seeing a spike in these cases during the last months of 2022 at the same time that a TikTok challenge showing people hotwiring these cars became viral.
DC police said the national trend was reflected in the District. During the first three weeks of January, one in three cars stolen in the nation's capital was either a Kia or a Hyundai.
The lack of anti-theft devices inside these vehicles is what makes the cars so vulnerable, according to police.
Nikki Peele's Kia Soul was stolen out of her garage at the Union Heights apartments in Northeast D.C. last Saturday. She has been sharing her experience on social media to alert other Kia owners about the growing trend.
Peele's car was recovered by DC police the following day, but a week later she is still struggling to find the ignition parts to get her car up and running.
She says that since her car was stolen, three other Kias have been targeted in the same garage.
The D.C.-based blogger has shared tips with Kia and Hyundai owners. The first and most important, getting a steering wheel lock. Peele says she had one, but did not use it. A photograph she shared on Twitter shoes the club in her back seat covered with shattered glass.
In case your car is stolen, she recommends getting a tracking device to help locate the vehicle quickly.
Fairfax County Police have held events to provide Hyundai and Kia drivers with free steering wheel locks, and DC Police tweeted out Friday they are also gearing up to do the same.
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