PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — According to the Peoria Police Chief, 154 vehicles have been stolen since the beginning of the year in Peoria, and 52% of those cars are Kia or Hyundai.
Ten cars have been stolen in the last four days, and that doesn’t even include items stolen from inside other cars.
“It’s a trend that we’re seeing across the country and there’s an opportunity to connect and learn to steal specific vehicles and they’re taking advantage of that,” said Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria.
Cyle Metzger, a Peoria resident, noticed his car was broken into over the weekend, but the person tried to steal it without success.
“The mechanisms under the steering wheel had broken where someone had clearly tried to steal the car but couldn’t, and I’m guessing it’s because it’s a stick shift,” Metzger said.
Metzger owns a Hyundai Accent, one of the most popular cars to be stolen.
Josh Gilles, also a Peoria resident, had his car stolen on Sunday, February 12th.
“I was home. I had it [the car] parked on the street I got out and realized the car was gone and I saw the broken window on the floor, so I knew right away it was stolen,” Gilles said.
Gilles’ car was found an hour or two after he reported it missing. He was found in an alley by Manual High School, with his car door open in the middle of the road. The only thing that was removed from the car: a car seat.
Chief Echevarria said he hopes cars that are easily stolen can be recovered.
“We’ve been in contact with Hyundai and Kia and we hope to see some kind of recall take place,” Echevarria said.
Of the 154 cars stolen since the new year, 40 percent have been stolen in East and West Bluff, as well as Lincoln’s South End. Almost all have been stolen by minor repeat offenders.
The boss said there are some easy ways to make sure a car doesn’t break down. “Don’t leave your car running, unless you have a remote start. Lock your vehicles and don’t leave your keys in the car. Park your car in a well-lit area, if you have a garage, use it.”
He also said the increase in stolen vehicles is not normal. He said the theft is most likely due to videos circulating on social media showing how to steal a car.
Most of the cars that have been stolen, Echevarria said, “What we’re seeing is that the vehicles are unlocked, and those are the ones that are being stolen. We’re not seeing car windows being broken and the car being stolen most of the time, they’re unlocked vehicles.”
For those whose cars have been stolen, he said it’s important to contact police immediately. Once the license plate has been put on a popular list, license plate readers can alert officers to where the car is.
