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Teens Are Stealing More Cars. They Learn How on Social Media. [1]
['Tim Arango', 'Jacey Fortin', 'More About Tim Arango']
Date: 2023-03-10
One of the busiest places in Memphis these days is the impound lot north of downtown, where tow-truck drivers can sit in line for over six hours to make drop-offs, victims can wait weeks to get stolen vehicles back and some 2,700 cars are squeezed onto the grounds of an old farm-equipment factory.
The overcrowding is the result in part of an auto theft boom that has gripped Memphis and other U.S. cities. Vehicles from two manufacturers, Kia and Hyundai, have proven especially vulnerable to theft, prompting cities to file lawsuits against the carmakers and at least one state’s attorney general to open an investigation.
Of the nearly 11,000 cars stolen in Memphis last year — about twice as many as in 2021 — roughly a third were late-model Kias and Hyundais, according to the police. It doesn’t take much to rip them off: just a screwdriver, a USB cord and hot-wiring know-how found in videos proliferating on social media.
Many of the culprits are teenagers or young adults stealing cars for kicks or to use them for other crimes, such as robberies, the police say. More than half of the 175 people arrested and accused of car theft this year in Memphis were teenagers, who often abandon the vehicles after a joyride.
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[1] Url:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/us/car-thefts-kia-challenge-tiktok.html
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