Identifying the vehicles is now a central challenge in a North Philadelphia investigation: police say seven stolen Hondas were dismantled inside a garage near North 9th and West Ontario streets. Two people have been arrested, and authorities served three separate warrants. Investigators say the broader inquiry is continuing, with more arrests possible.
According to 6abc, investigators say the Hondas were stripped so extensively that confirming their identities is difficult. One had been stolen just three days before it was found gutted inside the garage. Capt. Robert McKeever described the site to the station as “100% chop shop.”
What Investigators Say the Evidence Shows
Police say the equipment recovered at the site included large hacksaws. McKeever estimated that a stolen car could be stripped completely in about 45 minutes, suggesting how quickly investigators believe vehicles could be dismantled there.
Because the seven Hondas were dismantled so extensively, police say they are relying on serial numbers and airbags to confirm the vehicles' identities, according to 6abc. Investigators are also tracing where the parts went. The report said some pieces may have been used in vehicles resold online.
A Legitimate-Looking Garage With a Hidden Use
Police said the garage is zoned for a legitimate mechanic shop, but investigators believe its owner leased the space to different occupants. Authorities plan to confiscate the parts recovered there as the case proceeds, according to 6abc.
Separate reporting from Fox 29 adds details about the alleged theft and resale process. Investigators believe the group stole Hondas and stripped them for resale or shipment overseas. Fox 29 reported that suspects allegedly used Autel machines that can reprogram a vehicle's key fob in under two minutes, then welded recovered parts onto vehicles bought through Facebook Marketplace or from a salvage yard before reselling them. As of that report, the two people in custody had not been named or charged.
Investigators Eye a Possible Wider Ring
McKeever said police believe the North Philadelphia discovery may be connected to a larger stolen-car ring, possibly including an operation dismantled in April. He told 6abc investigators believe they have arrested the two main people involved in this garage, but the broader inquiry continues and could lead to more arrests.
Police also believe the destination of the parts is part of the suspected operation. McKeever told 6abc investigators think many are being shipped to the Dominican Republic. Investigators have said Hondas are frequent theft targets nationwide because parts are readily interchangeable between models and model years.
Fits a Broader Pattern of Honda Thefts in Philly
The North Philadelphia case is not the only report of dismantled Hondas found around the city. NBC10 previously reported that police found multiple dismantled Hondas dumped in Fairhill.
How Philadelphia's theft figures compare
NBC10 reported that police said more than 8,124 vehicles had been stolen in Philadelphia as of Tuesday, July 28, with Hondas accounting for nearly one-quarter. A separate 6abc report put the 2026 total at 3,497 stolen cars, including 923 Hondas, 780 of them 2018 models or newer. The reports do not explain the difference in totals or establish that they use the same reporting period and counting definitions, so the figures cannot be treated as a like-for-like comparison.
Fox 29 reported that Philadelphia's Major Crimes Units say stolen cars are actually down by about 1,300 compared to this time last year. That local trend tracks with a national one: the National Insurance Crime Bureau reported that U.S. vehicle thefts fell 23 percent in 2025 compared with 2024, with 659,880 vehicles reported stolen nationwide, and thefts involving Hyundai and Kia models declining for a third straight year. Even so, the bureau's data show the Honda Accord remained the second-most-stolen vehicle model in the country last year, with 17,797 reported thefts.
North Philadelphia's alleged chop shop also echoes an earlier case NBC10 covered, in which police found an open-air chop shop in a wooded area near Philadelphia International Airport, I-95 and the Platt Bridge. Officers there recovered ten stolen vehicles along with engines and chopped-up parts from five more, valued altogether at $750,000, according to that report.
What Suspects Could Face
Under Pennsylvania law, operating a chop shop or knowingly handling a vehicle or vehicle part illegally obtained from one is a second-degree felony, carrying up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, or both, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Police have not released the names or specific charges facing the two people arrested in the North Philadelphia case, and investigators say the broader inquiry into how the operation sourced, stripped and distributed the stolen Hondas is still unfolding.
