CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Car thefts have people on high alert in the Queen City.
Vaneshia Davis described the last few days as crazy, like a line pulled right out of a movie. Wednesday morning, Davis got ready to drive her 1-year-old son to day care.
Then she went to find her car. She searched and searched, but realized it had been stolen.
“I’m like, 'Where’s my car,'" Davis said. “Maybe I’m on the wrong floor or something, like I got off on the wrong floor. We called the police and asked them if it was towed."
It wasn't towed, and Davis filed a police report. She then took to social media and posted a picture of her car to spread the word. She kept working with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department as well.
She said by a miracle on Saturday, she got a call from CMPD: her car was found a few miles away.
“[The thieves] spray-painted it, I haven’t seen it just yet," Davis said. "I have to go to the towing lot."
When it was stolen, Davis' car was locked and behind the secure gate at her apartment complex. CMPD told her there was no glass in or around the car, so the suspects gained entry not by smashing any windows.
“There were multiple break-ins that happened the same night," Davis noted.
On a larger scope, CMPD's First Quarter Crime Report for 2023 showed a 99% increase in auto thefts in 2023 compared to the same time frame in 2022. The spike in auto thefts is also tracked back to the social media trend -- The Kia Challenge.
In 2023, Kia and Hynduai thefts have risen by 1,747%. To combat this, CMPD has occasionally handed out steering wheel locks. They did so on Saturday for owners of cars likely to be targeted.
Certain Kia and Hyundai models with key ignitions are being targeted by those partaking in Kia Challenge. Thieves need only a screwdriver and a USB cable to do so because those cars do not have immobilizers. Hyundai notes that all models produced after November 2021 have immobilizers as standard equipment.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.