Three 14-year-olds were arrested and are heading to court after several Kias were burglarized last Thursday at the parking garage at Bally’s Atlantic City.
Bally’s Atlantic City, pictured above. Three teens were arrested recently after car thefts at the property. (Image: WPG)
Two of the juveniles broke into and burglarized the vehicles at the 1900 Pacific Ave. parking facility, police said.
They attempted to steal the cars, too, but were unsuccessful. In the process, they damaged steering columns, police said.
Burglars’ Tools
One of the teens had a USB cable in his possession. It is known to be frequently used as a tool when stealing Kia and Hyundai cars, police revealed.
The second teen had a screwdriver with him. Screwdrivers are sometimes used by thieves to turn on vehicle ignitions and to break steering columns.
Detectives located the boys last Friday night as they found them walking in the area of Connecticut and Wabash avenues in Atlantic City. The boys were stopped by Atlantic City detectives Christopher Dodson, Alberto Valles, Eric Evans, and Troy Grams.
The two teens both were charged with three counts each of burglary and criminal mischief. They also were charged with possession of burglar tools.
The two were released to the custody of their parents. They are scheduled to appear in local court.
A third teen was found to be holding stolen credit cards. He was charged with receiving stolen property and was given a summons to appear in local court. The credit cards had been stolen from a car, police said.
Word of their arrests was announced by the Atlantic City Police Department on Wednesday.
None of the suspects was identified by the police due to their young ages.
Free Wheel Locks
Given these break-ins and other recent car burglaries, the Atlantic City Police Department announced this week it is distributing free steering wheel locks to Hyundai and Kia owners.
The distribution is part of an ongoing effort by Atlantic City cops to curb Kia and Hyundai car thefts.
These vehicles continue to be the most popular cars and SUVs for car thieves, particularly younger individuals,” Atlantic City police said in a recent statement.
To get the steering wheel locks, owners of these brand of cars who live in Atlantic City can bring their affected vehicles or a copy of their car registration and driver’s license to the Clayton G. Graham Public Safety Building.
It is located at 2715 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City.
Local police will provide owners of these auto brands a free lock between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays.
The ACPD is distributing free wheel locks to all Hyundai and Kia owners. For more information, check out https://t.co/oyjgmpHEnK or https://t.co/XgEmBUTP6p pic.twitter.com/DSGhWmvTFm
— AtlanticCityPD (@AtlanticCityPD) July 18, 2023
National Trend
Nationally, teenagers increasingly are finding information online on how to steal cars, such as on TikTok. They may use them for joy rides or as a getaway vehicle for another crime, such as robberies, according to The New York Times.
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