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The intersection where the inbound Kensington Expressway, (Route 33,) merges with the westbound Scajaquada Expressway, (Route 198).
A rise in thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles began to take root in the Midwest, hitting Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota relentlessly since last year.
But the trend exploded over the summer as a result of viral challenge on TikTok, and may now be fueling illegal activity in Buffalo – and revealing a deadly side that has local law enforcement on high alert.
Four people between the ages of 14 and 19 died Monday morning in a single-vehicle, rollover crash where the westbound Kensington Expressway meets the on-ramp for the Scajaquada Expressway. The 16-year-old driver now faces a felony charge in the crash.
When Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia revealed Monday that the stolen vehicle was a Kia Sportage reported stolen the night before, he referenced a TikTok and YouTube trend that has instructed viewers how to hotwire and steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles with traditional key ignition using mundane tools, such as a USB cable found on iPhone chargers. The commissioner said the social media challenge could have inspired the theft.
A day after a horrific crash Monday left four teens dead, another hospitalized and the driver facing criminal charges, Buffalo was learning about the young lives that were lost and the tragic consequences of a dangerous trend spread through TikTok.
The original TikTok users that began the trend were called “the kia boyz,” a term that now covers anyone involved in the criminal activity. A search for “the kia boyz” on TikTok indicates the subject has attracted 5.9 billion views, and while representatives from that social media platform have said there’s increased vigilance about removing these instructional videos, it is not difficult to find users bragging about stolen-car conquests, or other users showing the aftermath of what car thieves have done after stealing their Kias or Hyundais. Videos on YouTube and TikTok show drivers of what are purported to be stolen Kias driving erratically and at high speeds through neighborhoods.
Chris Gallant, former communications chair and current associate professor at Hilbert College, spoke Tuesday about the viral nature and popularity of TikTok, the most downloaded application in the world over the last three years, according to CNET.com. He said the platform is a “double-edged sword” in the same way as other social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
“It can be used for good or used for evil,” Gallant said, “and it needs to be regulated.”
News of the Kia Challenge has spread widely, even to Gallant’s 77-year-old mother, who is reluctant to take her Kia out of the garage.
“It strikes fear into a lot of people,” Gallant said of the trend.
Some Hyundai and Kia cars and SUVs are missing a “key” anti-theft device, and thieves know.
Experts have connected the popularity of the Kia Challenge with national statistics regarding the make of stolen vehicles. Last month, CNN shared a Highway Loss Data Institute study that revealed 2015-2019 models of Kias and Hyundais were stolen in 2021 at nearly twice the rate of any other car of similar age.
Buffalo is not the only city in which fatalities or serious injuries have been linked to stolen Kia and Hyundai vehicles. WISN, a TV station in Milwaukee, Wisc., reported about the death of a 16-year-old who crashed a stolen Kia in June. A 70-year-old woman in St. Paul, Minn., was killed in a crash involving a stolen Kia in July, Fox 9 in Minnesota reported.
The two manufacturers now find themselves in legal hot water.
The four teens who died in a car crash Monday on the Kensington Expressway were driving in a stolen Kia Sportage. So far this year, with more than two months left in the year, 177 have been reported stolen. In 2021, 69 were reported stolen.
In late September, Kia America and Hyundai Motor America were served a class action lawsuit in southern California, with MLG Attorneys at Law representing three plaintiffs against the two manufacturers. For many Kias built from 2011 to 2021, and Hyundais built between 2015-2021, the lawsuit accuses Kia and Hyundai of “blatantly valuing profits over the safety and security of their customers” by remaining among the few automobile manufacturers to not include engine immobilizers. These are electronic security parts in engine control units that restrict a vehicle from starting without a manufacturer’s key.
The three plaintiffs in the complaint, who said their Kia and Hyundai vehicles were stolen “by thieves exploiting the defect” between Aug. 10 and Sept. 11, are seeking damages and injunctive relief for themselves and the subset of Kia and Hyundai vehicle owners. The complaint adds that Hyundai and Kia considered adding engine immobilizers for theft prevention reasons in 2007 and 2009, respectively, but ultimately opted not to.
Jonathan Michaels, one of the two MLG attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said Tuesday he was aware of the fatal crash in Buffalo that was believed to be connected to the same issues in the lawsuit. He said the trend of stolen Kias and Hyundais does not appear to be slowing down, and that its motive veers from what’s typical.
“Stealing cars is usually for economic gain, but this is more done for sport,” said Michaels, adding that his office has fielded more than 500 related calls this month. “They’re motivated by the challenge and are doing it for fun.”
Six vehicles have been reported stolen from East Aurora in the last two weeks, the town and village’s police department confirmed. All six incidents shared one factor in common: At the time they were stolen, the cars were unlocked with the keys or key fob inside.
MLG, Michaels said, is demanding a recall of 10 million cars in the lawsuit, which would be the third largest class action suit ever, he said. The southern California lawsuit is accompanied by similar suits from Illinois and Minnesota.
Kia and Hyundai have added engine immobilizers for the majority of their 2022 and all of their 2023 models, Forbes reported.
Gramaglia’s reference to the Kia Challenge is a microcosm of a bigger problem of stolen vehicles in Western New York, with suburban police departments such as East Aurora this summer warning residents to not leave their key fobs in unlocked cars. A 2021 Buffalo News report on car thefts in the City of Buffalo noted almost a quarter of those arrested for car theft were under 17 years old, and many were arrested and released for the act multiple times.
Ben Tsujimoto can be reached at btsujimoto@buffnews.com, at (716) 849-6927 or on Twitter at @Tsuj10.
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TikTok challenges have become especially troubling.
The Oct. 24 crash on the Kensington Expressway involving a stolen Kia Sportage in which four teens were killed was shocking because of the number of deaths, but the events that led to it are familiar. Law enforcement officials say it was just a matter of time before the dangerous trend of stealing Kias and Hyundais resulted in tragedy in Buffalo.
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The intersection where the inbound Kensington Expressway, (Route 33,) merges with the westbound Scajaquada Expressway, (Route 198).
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