Spike in Kia and Hyundai thefts prompts NYPD to assign more cops to stolen car investigations

The spike in Kia and Hyundai thefts fueled by social media has prompted the NYPD to put pump up the number of cops working on stolen car investigations.

Chief of Patrol John Chell said the Auto Crime Division is assigning so-called white shields — police officers who work as detectives — to work on auto theft cases.

“That’s something we’ve never done before,” Chell said.

Murders and shootings in the city continue to drop at double-digit rates compared to last year, but grand larceny auto is still a major problem.

Through Sunday, 7,624 vehicles had been stolen in the city — 18% more than the 6,455 stolen at this time last year. That’s the largest increase among the seven felonies that comprise the city’s crime rate, which through Sunday is up 1%.

Car thieves, authorities said, have become increasingly sophisticated, using bootleg computer codes found on the internet to create their own electronic keys to reprogram a car’s computer system, driving off in the vehicle without setting off any alarms.

Then there’s TikTok’s “Kia Boyz Challenge” — online videos that exposed flaws in the ignition systems of some Kias and Hyundais and encourage viewers to snatch the vehicles.

“We see it as not only stealing a vehicle, but stealing the future of our young people,” Mayor Adams said earlier this year. “Being arrested for grand larceny auto is a felony. It will remain on your record. It will remain with you for life.”