Traffic & Transit

2 Attempted Vehicle Thefts In Nutley Involved Same Model Of Car

There's a good chance that you can thank social media for the latest attempted car thefts in Nutley, police say.

NUTLEY, NJ — There’s a good chance that you can thank social media for the latest attempted car thefts in Nutley, police say.

On Friday, the Nutley Police Department announced that there have been two attempted vehicle thefts in the township over the past week. Both involved Kias, authorities said.

According to the NPD:

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“A viral TikTok trend is believed to be responsible for motor vehicle thefts targeting Kias and Hyundais in the United States. Thieves have found a way to override security and ignition systems and are stealing these cars at a high rate nationwide.”

Nutley police released the following details about each incident:

Jan. 1 (Union Avenue) – “Officers responded to a report of an attempted motor vehicle theft. The caller stated when they returned to their Kia, they observed one of the windows smashed and the vehicle rummaged through. The surrounding area was canvassed for further information, and the detective bureau was advised and arrived on scene to process the vehicle.”

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Jan. 2 (Washington Avenue) – “Officers responded on report of an attempted theft to a Kia motor vehicle. The caller stated they observed the passenger-side rear window shattered and the steering column broken. The detective bureau was advised and arrived on scene to process the vehicle.”

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