Monday morning in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood, just off the University of Chicago campus, plenty of drivers started the week not with a commute, but with a cleanup. A streak of overnight break-ins left a line of parked cars with smashed driver-side windows and steering wheels stripped of their airbags, turning a quiet residential stretch into an impromptu crime scene.
Residents woke to shattered glass on the ground and gutted steering wheels, and several told reporters it looked like thieves were laser-focused on airbags rather than anything else inside the vehicles. Crews from ABC7 Chicago counted at least eight damaged cars clustered around 49th Street and Dorchester Avenue. The University of Chicago Police Department told the station it was aware of the incidents and urged anyone who believes their vehicle was hit to contact Chicago police.
The Kenwood spree slots into a broader pattern that has been frustrating drivers across the city for months. Chicago police have warned that crews are smashing driver-side windows and ripping out steering-wheel airbags from late-model Hondas, often under cover of darkness. The department has issued multiple community alerts about the trend, and dozens of block-level locations were flagged earlier this winter and spring, according to NBC Chicago.a
Investigators and industry experts say airbags check all the wrong boxes for an easy target: they are compact, quick to yank out and, because of earlier nationwide recalls and lingering parts backlogs, can fetch hundreds of dollars on illicit markets while legitimate replacements can run into the thousands. Replacement bills can reach as high as $4,000, CBS Chicago reported, and the Chicago Sun-Times has detailed long repair waits tied to recall-related supply shortages.
What neighbors and police are doing
Police and local reporters have been pushing a familiar toolkit of low-tech defenses: visible steering-wheel locks, parking in well-lit or higher-traffic areas and hanging on to any doorbell or security-camera footage that might have caught thieves in the act.
Some departments have responded by distributing steering-wheel locks to drivers in hard-hit areas, according to CWB Chicago. Community outlets have also been logging which blocks are getting hit and sharing practical tips, including a recent report on West Side airbag bandits who stripped dozens of Hondas in a single night.
How to report a hit and protect yourself
Drivers who suspect their car was targeted are urged to contact Chicago police, file an anonymous tip through the department’s online portal or call Area Four detectives at (312) 746-8253. Local coverage also stresses that anyone replacing an airbag should stick with reputable dealers or ASE-certified repair shops and be skeptical of unusually cheap online offers, advice highlighted by FOX 32 Chicago.
University of Chicago officials say they are tracking the Kenwood reports and noted that the campus police department has not yet been contacted directly by affected residents. They are echoing the call for victims to file reports with Chicago police as detectives work through tips and review available video, according to ABC7 Chicago.
