The Kia Boyz have been around for years, but we guarantee the average American have never heard of them. More are familiar with their work, but still far too many are completely ignorant of it. But a new documentary which explores the phenomenon in Connecticut is reportedly causing waves and hopefully will lead to some much-needed changes.
Veteran fired up after thieves steal his custom Camaro.
Independent journalist Andrew Callaghan put out the documentary on his YouTube channel. In it he not only interviews members of the infamous Kia Boyz in Connecticut, he has them teach him how to boost cars using a flathead screwdriver and USB charging cable, then does just that.
That might sound shocking, but to us this is old hat. But to some lawmakers and their constituents in the state, it’s all enraging as well as eye-opening. As reported by Inside Investigator, some lawmakers in Connecticut are ready to push for key reforms to get the problem under control.
There’s no denying the state has a serious issue with car theft, with numbers of stolen cars increasing dramatically over the past several years, just like in certain other states. But not everyone is going to agree with how to address the problem.
Some politicians have decided holding Kia and Hyundai accountable for the thefts is the proper route. After all, the South Korean automakers didn’t include engine immobilizers, a simple feature which would’ve prevented the entire problem.
Others think tougher penalties surrounding car theft should be enacted, especially for minors. Most of those who are stealing cars, joyriding in them or selling the vehicles to others so they can use them to commit other crimes, are under 18.
We’ve seen this division on how to address the car theft wave play out in many other areas of the country.
With 3.8 million views at the time this article was written, the documentary has opened quite a few eyes. We’ve been tracking the Kia Boyz since they first emerged in Milwaukee several years ago, pushing the car theft rate through the roof in the city.
Most people have only heard of the TikTok Kia/Hyundai theft challenge, which was apparently started by the Kia Boyz. But we’ve found tutorials where they show how to steal a car using those two simple tools on every major social media platform, so it’s not just a TikTok thing.
Check out the video for ourself (warning: language).
Image via Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan/YouTube
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