The theft of two Korean-model cars, and the resulting chase and crash that killed the driver and passenger of one of them, could be linked to a TikTok auto-theft “game.”
Police investigators are still probing the incident involving a Kia and a Hyundai, but they are looking into the possibility that the thefts were related to the “Kia Challenge.”
The “Kia Challenge” is a car-theft “game” that has gone viral on TikTok and inspired a spate of copycat crimes. Thieves can remove the drive column of certain key-start ignition models, and then use the end of a USB cord or flash drive to start the vehicle.
At around 12:52 a.m. Monday, Lodi Police Department officers were dispatched after receiving word of two men exiting a white vehicle carrying flashlights. As officers arrived, the original white car, followed by another white car, were observed leaving the area.
Law enforcement did not specify what models the Kia and Hyundai were. Both brands are owned by the same parent company, Hyundai Motor Group, and some Hyundai models have the same design glitch that makes Kias vulnerable to this form of theft.
After observing the two cars committing traffic violations, law enforcement attempted a stop. The two vehicles fled in separate directions, with police able to follow only one of them, the Hyundai. The car fled at high speed, and shut off its lights, leading police to call off the pursuit.
About 30 minutes later, Lodi Police Department officers were dispatched to a park after what sounded like gunshots and breaking glass was reported. In fact, the cacophony was caused by the car they had pursued, which had barreled through a fence and struck a tree.
Jess Bradford Jr., 21, and Michael Wyrick, 16, both of Stockton, California, were extricated from the Hyundai, which had its roof ripped off by the force of impact.
The two men were pronounced dead onsite at the park, which is nearly one mile away from where the pursuit was stopped.
The stolen Kia is still missing.
“Like all my stuff, I’m just like … I have no idea where it is. It’s crazy,” the Kia’s owner, who did not provide her name, told KOVR-TV.
The Kia and Hyundai’s owners were not the only locals affected by the theft and crash — the pursuit also saw one of the fleeing vehicles crash into parked cars, starting a chain reaction of vehicular damage.
“I’m still kind of mind blown by how it even happened and how this happened,” Gannon Shumer, the owner of one of the damaged cars, told KOVR-TV.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.