Did a TikTok challenge lead to a deadly car crash in Lodi?
LODI — Lodi police are looking into the possibility that a viral TikTok challenge led to a deadly car crash.
That challenge shows how to easily steal certain Kia and Hyundai car models without a key.
A picture shows the aftermath of the violent crash at Lodi's Peterson Park that left two people dead. The photo shows the stolen Hyundai's roof ripped off after the driver plowed into a tree.
Lodi police believe the suspects inside were part of a group that stole two vehicles, leading cops on a chase with their lights off. Police called off the chase just before the deadly collision.
The owner of the other vehicle stolen shared a photo of her Kia. It is still missing.
"Like all my stuff, I'm just like...I have no idea where it is. It's crazy," she said.
Police are investigating whether the viral TikTok challenge, which shares how to steal Hyundais and Kias, is part of this case. The video shows how to use a USB drive to start the cars instead of a key.
Gannon Shumer says the suspects in one of the stolen cars also crashed into other parked vehicles on his street, creating a chain reaction that did serious damage to his car.
"I'm still kind of mind blown by how it even happened and how this happened, how he got all the way out there. It's just crazy," Shumer said.
The family of the two victims killed were at the crash site late Monday night and identified the two men as 21-year-old Jess Bradford, Jr., and 16-year-old Michael Wyrick.
