Amid rising vehicle crimes, SPD urges students to secure their cars

Stolen vehicles in and around Syracuse University’s southeast district have increased by about 33% so far this year, according to the Syracuse Police Department. 

Sgt. Tom Blake, a public information officer with the SPD, said 233 stolen vehicles had been reported in the district so far in 2026. Citywide, vehicle thefts are up about 44%, with 676 reported so far this year, according to Blake.

Syracuse University graduate student Caleigh Roy, was among those whose vehicle was stolen near campus.

“I had been living here for genuinely three weeks and my car was stolen,” Roy said.

Security footage from Roy’s leasing office show someone breaking in and driving off with her car around 1 a.m. Roughly 10 minutes after filing a police report, she received a call saying police found her vehicle on Genesee Street.

“The back right passenger window was smashed in […] the ignition was all torn apart because they had, like, hot-wired it, or something like that,” she said. 

Thankfully, Roy had left nothing of value in her car, and it was able to be repaired within 36 hours. 

Junior Emily Lippiello found the back door of her car cracked open one morning, after her roommates had used it a few days prior and forgot to lock the door. 

“I was honestly freaked out by the fact that I didn’t actually know what was in my car, so I don’t  know what they had taken,” she said. 

Unlike Roy’s vehicle, Lippiello’s car was not damaged or stolen. She contacted her landlord soon after to ask for surveillance footage and planned to file a police report.  

Kias and Hyundais are the most common vehicles broken into and/or stolen due to social media trends, according to Sgt. Blake. There are instructional videos all over YouTube with explanations on how to break into these vehicles, which have encouraged teens to act on what they see. According to one video, Hyundais and Kias can be stolen in under 90 seconds if the perpetrators know what they are doing. 

“Kids go on, they get bored, they go look at videos like, ‘Oh, look how easy it is for me to steal one of these cars,’ and they just kind of repeat that behavior,” Blake said. “The bulk of the people that are stealing vehicles are 13 to 19.”

In response to the high volume of Hyundai and Kia cars being stolen, Blake advises students who do have these cars to see if they are eligible for a free security upgrade, which would hopefully make their cars harder to break into. 

Blake also advised students to purchase steering wheel locks, remember to lock their vehicles, remove valuables, use a GPS locator or vehicle security system and to park in a garage or well-lit area when possible. Knowing your neighbors and knowing who has security cameras or Ring doorbells can help police find the suspect if something does happen. 

If you suspect your car was broken into, the first step is not to touch anything, as the police might be able to search for fingerprints if anything was stolen or damaged, Blake instructed.

But after that he says “just call 911,” adding that people should not be afraid to dial that number, because SPD is there to help.

For Roy and Lippiello, the experience has already changed their daily routines. Both students purchased steering wheel locks soon after the break-ins, and Lippiello vowed to never leave her car unlocked or leave anything valuable in it again. 

“The first time I drove my car after I got it back, I felt so weird,” Roy said. “I kind of felt violated in my own space.”

Editor’s Note: Caleigh Roy is a contributing writer and digital producer for The NewsHouse. She did not influence the editorial content in this story.