Cheltenham Twp. police offering steering wheel locks for Kia & Hyundai owners
CHELTENHAM TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Cheltenham Township Police Department is offering steering wheel locks for Kia and Hyundai vehicle owners.
It's in response to the viral TikTok challenge that teaches people how to start the vehicles with the use of a USB cable.
Shakeena Josey says she owns a Kia, but she's currently looking to get rid of it.
"I'm trying to save up enough money to get a new car because I don't want anything to happen to mine," said Josey.
Cheltenham Township has been hit hard by this trend.
Vehicle thefts went up drastically in the township from 56 thefts in 2021 to 110 incidents in 2022, with nearly half of all vehicles in 2022 being Kias or Hyundais.
So far this year, they've already had 21 stolen vehicles with 19 of them being Kias or Hyundais.
Cheltenham Township Police Sgt. Jeff Murphy fears someone is going to get seriously hurt due to the social media trend.
"Given the times we live in, people sometimes take extreme measures to protect their property and we don't want to see anything like that happen here," he said.
SEE ALSO: New TikTok challenge targets Kia, Hyundai car owners
So that's why they got the locks. They've had 64 delivered straight from Hyundai and more from Kia are on the way.
The Cheltenham Township Police Department is the first department in the region to be given the locks by the car companies in an effort to curb the thefts.
"They're free of charge and a free service for our residents. That makes our job a little bit easier," said Murphy.
All it takes to get a lock at the police department is two things: proof you live in the township and proof you drive a Kia or Hyundai.
