Vehicle thefts on the rise in some Western New York suburbs

Car thefts and break-ins had been steadily rising over the past couple of years, not only in Western New York but nationally with the popularity of a social media challenge that showed viewers how to hotwire and steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles.

Locally, vehicle thefts were at an all-time high last year, peaking especially at the start of 2023 and at the beginning of the summer months. However, data from several police departments show vehicle thefts dropped an average of 41% during the last four months of 2023, compared with the previous four months.

But in several Western New York suburbs, police are seeing the number of thefts begin to tick back up.

• Last month, 24 vehicles were reported stolen in the Town of Tonawanda, according to the Police Department. That’s more in one month than any month in 2023. As of Feb. 13, six vehicles were reported stolen, compared with 10 in all of February 2023.
• In Amherst, there were 42 vehicle thefts last month, the highest number of reported thefts since January 2023, when there were also 42 stolen vehicles. Twenty-four vehicles have been reported stolen as of Feb. 13, according to the Amherst Police Department. Last February, there were 28 vehicles stolen in the month.
• West Seneca had seven vehicle thefts reported in January, which is not a record number, but is an increase from previous months.

“It remains too early in the year to determine whether this will be a sustained trend,” said Rachel Kingston, assistant public information officer with the West Seneca Police Department.

There have been three vehicle thefts in West Seneca as of Feb. 15, two fewer than the February 2023 total.

Residents in Grand Island have also began to sound the alarm after six vehicle thefts were reported so far this year.

In Cheektowaga, vehicle thefts are slightly down at the beginning of this year compared with…