Was a TikTok challenge responsible for the increase in car thefts — Kia and Hyundai models in particular — in major cities across the US? To answer this question, USAFacts collected and analyzed data from dozens of police departments across the country.
In certain cities, we found a noticeable spike in Hyundai and Kia car thefts in June 2022, when the Kia Boys challenge began to go viral. The cities where the TikTok effect was more obvious were Atlanta; Baltimore; Chicago; Cleveland; Dayton, Ohio; Louisville; Omaha, Nebraska; Portland, Oregon; and Washington, DC.
