Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Kia
The Kia Boys made the front page of newspapers one more time, this time after a group of five teens got involved in a police chase following a routine traffic stop.
It happened in Levittown, New York, where an officer on duty asked the driver to pull over at a gas station. The Bristol Township police officer spotted the Kia Soul and wanted to stop the vehicle in a parking lot.
However, the driver immediately accelerated, trying to drive away from the Exxon gas station and lose the patrol car.
It didn't take long for the high-speed chase to end, as the Kia Boys did what all the other Kia Boys did in their previous encounter with law enforcement. They abandoned the car and tried to escape on foot. Five people walked away from the vehicle, and the police officer could only follow and arrest one of them: a 20-year-old passenger who was traveling with a juvenile and other teens believed to be part of the infamous Kia Boys gang.
The Kia Soul they were driving was reported stolen earlier that day, but the police officer didn't have good news for the driver. The vehicle was found by police with significant damage, including to the steering wheel column and the ignition.
This is how the Kia Boys operate. Teens who want to "have fun" or become famous online steal Kias and Hyundai using a hack that went viral two years ago on TikTok. The method involves breaking a side window, jumping behind the wheel, and ripping off the steering wheel column. Once the underneath components are exposed, the thieves hotwire the car and start the engine in seconds, driving away in the vehicles and recording everything for Internet views.
The Kia Boys have become a major concern in the United States, where thousands of cars have already been stolen and wrecked minutes later.
Kia and Hyundai started a massive patching effort, setting up software clinics in multiple locations across the United States. Installing the anti-theft update typically takes around 30 minutes, but the two carmakers struggle to convince everybody to get the patch.
Meanwhile, nearly every Hyundai and Kia in the United States and parked on the street carry a gigantic target on their back, no matter the model year or if they are vulnerable or patched. The Kia Boys sometimes try to break into any vehicle wearing these badges, often without even looking through the window to see if the car has a steering wheel lock.
The 20-year-old Kia Boy was charged with conspiracy to receive stolen property, receiving stolen property, corruption of minors, and loitering and prowling at night, but it's unclear if the other teens in the car were arrested.
However, the driver immediately accelerated, trying to drive away from the Exxon gas station and lose the patrol car.
It didn't take long for the high-speed chase to end, as the Kia Boys did what all the other Kia Boys did in their previous encounter with law enforcement. They abandoned the car and tried to escape on foot. Five people walked away from the vehicle, and the police officer could only follow and arrest one of them: a 20-year-old passenger who was traveling with a juvenile and other teens believed to be part of the infamous Kia Boys gang.
The Kia Soul they were driving was reported stolen earlier that day, but the police officer didn't have good news for the driver. The vehicle was found by police with significant damage, including to the steering wheel column and the ignition.
This is how the Kia Boys operate. Teens who want to "have fun" or become famous online steal Kias and Hyundai using a hack that went viral two years ago on TikTok. The method involves breaking a side window, jumping behind the wheel, and ripping off the steering wheel column. Once the underneath components are exposed, the thieves hotwire the car and start the engine in seconds, driving away in the vehicles and recording everything for Internet views.
The Kia Boys have become a major concern in the United States, where thousands of cars have already been stolen and wrecked minutes later.
Kia and Hyundai started a massive patching effort, setting up software clinics in multiple locations across the United States. Installing the anti-theft update typically takes around 30 minutes, but the two carmakers struggle to convince everybody to get the patch.
Meanwhile, nearly every Hyundai and Kia in the United States and parked on the street carry a gigantic target on their back, no matter the model year or if they are vulnerable or patched. The Kia Boys sometimes try to break into any vehicle wearing these badges, often without even looking through the window to see if the car has a steering wheel lock.
The 20-year-old Kia Boy was charged with conspiracy to receive stolen property, receiving stolen property, corruption of minors, and loitering and prowling at night, but it's unclear if the other teens in the car were arrested.
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