A 12-year-old and a 13-year-old are accused of stealing nearly a dozen vehicles across Glendale over the course of the summer, in a theft spree that Glendale police say primarily targeted Kia and Hyundai models with a well-known ignition flaw. Investigators eventually determined the two boys were involved in at least 11 vehicle thefts, and detectives say more charges could still be coming as they finish reviewing evidence.
A Summer of Stolen Kias and Hyundais
According to AZ Family, Glendale police detectives began investigating after noticing a sharp increase in vehicle thefts across the west valley. The pattern pointed almost entirely to Hyundai and Kia vehicles, the outlet reports, and it started coming into focus after officers found a stolen Kia Optima abandoned near 67th Avenue and Rose Lane on August 4. That same day, police also received a call about two people in hoodies driving erratically in another stolen Kia Optima elsewhere in Glendale.
The following day, August 5, police got another call about a stolen Kia Optima, this time with a driver described in the police report as doing donuts in a neighborhood cul-de-sac. Officers recovered two stolen Kia Optimas that day, per the station's report. The 13-year-old later told detectives he stole two cars in a single night.
Confrontations and a Confession
The 13-year-old reportedly told police he picked up the 12-year-old in a stolen Kia Optima so the pair could go drifting, according to the police report cited by the outlet. He allegedly attempted to drift through a neighborhood until a neighbor confronted him, but the two boys kept at it until they had to get ready for school, the report states. The 13-year-old reportedly told detectives he had been stealing cars for roughly two months, while the 12-year-old said he had been involved in at least eight vehicle thefts over summer break, allegedly admitting he did it for the adrenaline rush, per the same account.
The boys are accused of specifically targeting Kias and Hyundais that required a key to start rather than models with push-button ignition, according to the police report. The 13-year-old allegedly used a screwdriver to pop open rear windows and then ripped off steering columns to reach the ignitions, damaging them to start the vehicles, the report says.
Drone Tracks Boys Hiding Under an RV
On August 12, officers responded to a report of a Kia Optima being driven erratically in Glendale. The two boys ran through a neighborhood and tried to evade police by jumping fences and cutting through neighbors' yards, but a police drone helped officers find them hiding underneath an RV trailer in a homeowner's backyard, and both were taken into custody that day.
Glendale was the first law enforcement agency in Arizona to receive a Federal Aviation Administration waiver allowing desk operators to launch drones autonomously to high-priority 911 calls without a field observer, according to 12News. Operating within a two-mile radius, the drones average a 90-second arrival time and can beam live aerial footage to patrol officers before ground units even reach the scene. The department's Real Time Crime Center, running since 2019, also pulls together computer-aided dispatch, license-plate readers and more than 1,700 live camera feeds citywide, per the City of Glendale, including camera-sharing partnerships with businesses such as Circle K.
Charges and What Happens Next
The 12-year-old was booked on six counts of unlawful use of means of transportation and criminal trespassing, while the 13-year-old was booked on five counts of theft of means of transportation, one count of attempted theft of means of transportation, possession of burglary tools and criminal trespassing, the report states. The 12-year-old has claimed he never actually stole the vehicles, according to the police report. A concerned father had contacted Glendale police and said his son had been sneaking out of the house and was known to steal vehicles, per the same account.
Detectives recovered numerous stolen vehicles during the investigation, including a Kia Optima and a Hyundai Elantra that had not yet been reported stolen. Investigators also say the 13-year-old had access to a social media account showing Kia and Hyundai thefts and reckless driving, logging into it several times; videos on the account reportedly showed a crashed Kia Soul and stolen vehicles parked on a mountaintop, according to the police report. The account was reportedly shared among a group of children engaged in similar conduct, the report notes. Glendale detectives say additional charges are possible as the evidence review continues.
Arizona law draws a sharp legal line between the two boys' alleged roles. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1814, theft of means of transportation is a Class 3 felony carrying a sentencing range of 2 to 8.75 years in prison and fines up to $150,000 for a first-time conviction, requiring prosecutors to prove intent to permanently deprive an owner of a vehicle, according to the Naegle Law Firm. By contrast, unlawful use of means of transportation under A.R.S. § 13-1803 — commonly known as joyriding — is a Class 5 felony for drivers and a Class 6 felony for passengers, applying when someone takes unauthorized control of a vehicle without intending to keep it, per the Law Office of James E. Novak.
Because both boys are under 18, their cases will move through the Maricopa County Superior Court Juvenile Department rather than adult criminal court, with charges filed as delinquency petitions by the County Attorney's Office, according to the Maricopa County Superior Court. Arizona's juvenile system emphasizes rehabilitation, with dispositional options ranging from supervised probation and community service to restitution or juvenile detention. Any minor held in custody must receive an advisory hearing before a judge within 24 hours of detention, where the court explains the charges and constitutional rights involved and decides whether continued detention or release to a parent is appropriate.
Part of a Wider Kia and Hyundai Theft Problem
The Glendale case fits into a much larger national pattern tied to viral social media trends dubbed the “Kia Boyz” or “Kia Challenge,” which spread step-by-step instructions for hotwiring 2011-2022 key-start Hyundai and Kia models using little more than a screwdriver and a USB cable. Those security gaps helped push Hyundai and Kia models into the top five most stolen vehicles nationwide in 2024, according to the California Office of the Attorney General.
Regulators and courts have since moved on multiple fronts. In December 2025, a coalition of 36 state attorneys general reached a settlement requiring Hyundai and Kia to install engine immobilizers in all future U.S. vehicles, pay up to $4.5 million in consumer restitution and offer free zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. A separate national class action settlement, granted final approval in October 2024, established cash reimbursements for uninsured theft losses and insurance deductibles along with free anti-theft software updates for eligible owners, per the settlement's official site.
Locally, prosecutors have already shown a willingness to pursue lengthy sentences tied to these theft rings. In April 2026, Phoenix prosecutors secured a prison sentence of more than seven years against an adult member of a local “Kia Hyundai Boyz” theft ring linked to 15 vehicle thefts, with investigators reconstructing the ring's activity from photos, videos and text messages recovered from the suspect's phone that documented over $600,000 in damages, according to 12News.
