TikTok Challenge Causes Uptick In Kia, Hyundai Thefts In Fairfield County Community, Police Say

Authorities in Fairfield County are alerting residents about a new string of Kia and Hyundai thefts caused by a TikTok challenge.

Authorities in Fairfield County are alerting residents about a recent string of vehicle thefts caused by a TikTok challenge.
Photo Credit: *Pixabay/Image by Dominic Alberts*

Nicole Valinote

08/16/2022 1:15 p.m.

Police in Shelton responded to Coram Avenue and Hill Street just after midnight on Tuesday, Aug. 16, for a report of a group of boys trying to break into vehicles, the Shelton Police Department reported.

Police said the boys were in a Hyundai that had been stolen from another town. Authorities were also told that a vehicle had been stolen in Shelton, police said.

Officers found the vehicle that was believed to have been stolen from Shelton traveling on the Derby/Shelton Bridge and pulled the vehicle over, police said.

Police said officers arrested a 16-year-old New Haven County resident from Ansonia, who was charged with:

First-degree larceny
Third-degree burglary
First-degree criminal trover
Operating a motor vehicle without a license

The teen, whose name was not released because he is a minor, told police he was following a TikTok trend related to stealing Hyundai and Kia vehicles, authorities said.

Police said since Saturday, Aug. 13, there have been six reports of stolen vehicles in Shelton. Five are Hyundai vehicles and one is a Kia vehicle, according to the report.

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