Police: 700 cars were stolen in Minneapolis in January

MINNEAPOLIS -- Police in Minneapolis say 700 cars were stolen in January, most of which were taken while the car was still running and a key or fob was left inside.

MPD released city-wide data Friday, showing a 55% increase in stolen cars compared to this time in 2022. Minneapolis' Whittier neighborhood had the highest rate of stolen cars, with 68. The next closest neighborhood had 27. 

Authorities also say there were 33 carjackings and 260 thefts from a motor vehicle.

Sophia Collova said her car was broken into earlier this winter.

"We had to get police involved, and they were just like 'Well, this is happening a lot - good luck'." She said. "I'm a college student. I don't have the funds to rent a car or find other arrangements for a vehicle. I need to be going to school. It affects my education. It also affects accessibility issues too."

Police reminded residents to always turn the car off and remove the key when leaving the car.

On Monday, Minneapolis police released statistics from the first 90 days of "Operation Endeavor," which said that carjackings went down about 65%.