Jan. 15—The Albuquerque Police Department said Hyundai, Chevrolet and Kia vehicles are the most popular on the streets. If you’re a thief, that is.
APD officials said Wednesday that, of the 4,401 vehicles stolen last year, those three brands got taken the most.
The good news, the department said, is that auto thefts dropped 7% in 2024, down from the 4,716 in 2023.
APD officials did not respond to an inquiry on how many people were arrested for auto thefts in 2024 compared with 2023.
In 2024, police said, thieves stole 663 Hyundais, 660 Chevrolets and 525 Kias. APD said Dodge was also a popular vehicle to steal but didn’t have totals for 2024.
The decrease in thefts can be attributed to the effectiveness of the city’s bait car program, the distribution of 500 steering wheel locks and the use of technology such as automated license plate readers, Police Chief Harold Medina said.
“All this technology has assisted us in making sure that we’re able to combat auto theft,” he said during a Wednesday morning news conference at the Northwest Area Substation.
In September, police said they arrested Nathaniel Sanchez, 28, for operating a chop shop in Southeast Albuquerque, where four stolen vehicles were found.
The city also arrested multiple teens, including two boys who took a bait car on a joyride in March, according to APD. One of the boys told police he learned how to start the vehicle using a screwdriver by watching Instagram videos of the “Kia Boyz,” a nationwide trend of young people stealing Kia and Hyundai vehicles and posting videos of their crimes to social media.
“We’re always looking to see how they can take some of these high active criminals, who are impacting auto theft the most, (and) put them in custody as quickly as possible,” Medina said.
APD Cmdr. Jeffrey Barnard said while there was a drop in auto thefts, the city has seen an increase in people stealing newer vehicles that use push buttons to start the engine.
While recent national rankings for auto thefts have yet to be released, Medina said he hopes the city drops out of the top 10 in rankings. In 2022, the National Insurance Crime Bureau ranked the city 6th, with a rate of 795 auto thefts per 100,000 people.
“Our philosophy with auto theft is to go out proactively,” Medina said, “find the individual with the stolen car and put them in jail.”