Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Four teens, aged 15-17, have been arrested for Kia thefts in North Salt Lake.
- Police suspect joyriding as the motive, possibly linked to a TikTok challenge.
- Detectives are investigating connections between these arrests and Salt Lake City thefts.
NORTH SALT LAKE — North Salt Lake police believe they have solved a recent rash of thefts involving Kias that were either stolen or had the windows broken in an apparent attempt to be stolen.
Earlier this month, the department issued an alert, particularly for residents near Foxboro Drive and in the Foxboro neighborhood, warning them of Kia vehicles being broken into.
Ten Kias had their windows smashed and ignitions damaged, possibly in an attempt to steal them, and an 11th car was actually taken, said North Salt Lake Deputy Police Chief Mitch Gwilliam. That car, he said, was taken to Salt Lake City and then abandoned about an hour later near the place it was originally taken.
Nothing inside the vehicles was stolen, and police believe joyriding may be the motive.
On Feb. 13, after putting extra patrol units in the area for several nights, as well as using surveillance video and "good police work," four teens, all between the ages of 15 and 17, were arrested, Gwilliam said.
As of Thursday, Gwilliam said investigators were still looking into a possible motive, including whether the attempted thefts are tied to a TikTok challenge that recently resurfaced.
In 2021, a similar TikTok resulted in a sharp increase in thieves targeting Kia cars made between 2011 and 2021 and Hyundais between 2015 and 2021, according to police. The thieves — mainly teenagers — target Kias and Hyundais that use a key, not a key fob and push-button, hot wire the vehicles and take them on joyrides before dumping them.
In December, Salt Lake police issued a warning about an increase in Kias and Hyundais being targeted apparently because of the social media challenge. Police said from Nov. 23 through Dec. 10, a total of 18 Kia and Hyundai thefts were reported, in addition to seven attempted thefts.
Gwilliam said detectives were working Thursday to determine if the four arrested in North Salt Lake — who are all from the Greater Salt Lake area — can be linked to the Salt Lake thefts.
