San Antonio is facing a rampant rise in car thefts, and the Police Chief is pointing a finger at an unlikely culprit—social media. According to Fox San Antonio, Police Chief William McManus has linked a viral trend to a staggering 50% spike in stolen vehicles last year. In what's shaking up to be a high-tech game of cops and robbers, thieves seem equally influenced by online challenges as they are by a disturbing design flaw in certain vehicles.
This tide of thefts isn't just a local headache; it reflects a troubling national uptick, especially afflicting owners of Kias and Hyundais. Exposed by viral TikToks, a significant security chink in these models has been widely exploited, spurring a massive 1000% surge in car theft since 2020. Business Insider reports that these thefts continued even though manufacturers rolled out software updates in a bid to patch the security breach.
The cause for concern isn't mere happenstance. These vehicles lacked electronic immobilizers, which are standard in most modern vehicles, making them vulnerable. Thieves, armed with just a USB cord, could override the car's ignition system. Despite efforts by Kia and Hyundai to provide a fix via software updates to some eight million cars and distribute steering wheel locks, the frequency of thefts remains alarmingly high, with claims almost seven times higher than those for other makes, according to Business Insider.
McManus is taking a proactive stance against the criminal wave sweeping his city, although the battle wears thin the patience of a community already grappling with over a 6% increase in property crimes due to these thefts. "People being back out on the street re-offending there’s nothing left for us to do for us as police but arrest them again," McManus told Fox San Antonio.
