Baltimore County Police giving away steering wheel locks to Hyundai owners amid TikTok theft trend

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore County Police Department is hosting a pop-up event Friday to give steering wheel locks to residents who drive Hyundais amid a surge in thefts of the cars. 

The event, a drive-thru at BCPD Precinct 1 in Randallstown, begins at 9 a.m. and will run while supplies last.  

Social media videos - primarily on TikTok - demonstrating the ease of stealing both Hyundai and Kia models are believed to be contributing to the surge in thefts. The targeted vehicles are those with keys rather than push-button ignitions.

In Baltimore County alone, nearly 200 Hyundais have been stolen in 2023, marking a 933% increase over the previous year to date. Meanwhile, Kias represent a 433% increase. 

In the first three months of 2023, 186 Hyundais and 64 Kias have been reported stolen in Baltimore County. At the same time last year, 18 Hyundais and 12 Kias were reported stolen. 

Many of the thefts can be directly linked to social media videos showing how easy it is to steal certain models.  

The car manufacturers are offering free software upgrades. However, many owners of the affected vehicles have not taken advantage of these upgrades. 

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown on Thursday joined a coalition of 18 states pushing for a federal recall of theft-prone Hyundai and Kia vehicles.