Fight fire with fire. The young perps doing this, do it for bragging rights on social media. Part of the challenge is how many Kias or Hyundai's can a person steal and drive in a day! They upload their exploits on social media.
This page is for victims of these crimes to upload photographic evidence with intent to possibly help law enforcement deal with this criminal social disease.
We're armed too. Many of us have smart phones that take more than nasty pictures, and Ring doorbells that record the street too. We could pay a little more attention to the Kias and Hyundais parked in store lots, on the street, and in driveways. If somebody is hanging around one looking suspicious, record her/him on your phone. We have to proliferate it enough to go viral and send the message to wannabe perps that if you steal one of these cars for the Kia Challenge, somebody's smart phone, or Ring may be filming you with intent to upload your sorry ass exploits on social media too. Social media where law enforcement can get information leading to arrests and convictions.
Everyone in America is plagued with this deviant youth pasttime at our expense. You know this affects EVERYBODY'S insurance premiums. It is in our best interest to pay attention.
Wednesday 14 February 2024 I became a victim as I discovered my Kia, a Sportage LX 4x4 had been stolen from in front of my house. All my gig music, bowling equipment, and a lot of hiking and some climbing gear was in my LOCKED car at the time. The thieves broke into the passenger side door. They drove the car for about two miles according to the odometer, ditching it in a field by an irrigation canal near a fire station. They tore out the radio, the key ignition so the car could be started and dashboard wiring. The steering column was broken. The door into which they broke is irreparable, and the electronic system compromised.
I was lucky. Many victims have their cars totalled during the Kia Challenge joy ride. I have seen perp uploaded video crashing Kias into parked cars on a street like a pinball machine, crashes into trucks, school buses, buildings, houses, private property, and a few running from law enforcement at high rates of speed.
My mechanic repaired many stolen Kias or Hyundais since the new year. The crime wave surged, and is surging again.
Kia dealership says parts are backordered at least six months out.
My mechanic gets the parts used and does the repair in two to three days. He is swamped with Kia and Hyundai repairs.
Mechanic said some people had their cars stolen more than once.
I took and am taking security steps. What is uncertain is when I am parked in a lot for rehearsal, or in the garage for a gig. Have one remedy to test when it arrives.
A class action lawsuit exists. But scope of this challenge is bigger and remains ongoing.
If more similar pages exist, I challenge for this summary information be assimilated together into one place, to go viral in effort to say we're not going to allow this, AND if uploaded information can help law enforcement catch as many criminals as possible, then we helped make our society safer.
You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
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