A resurgence in Kia and Hyundai vehicle thefts has prompted the Manteca Police to offer a limited supply of free anti-theft devices on a first come, first served basis.

They are available in the Manteca Police Department lobby.

You are required to have documentation of Manteca residency as that of owning a Kia or a Hyundai.

Kias and Hyundais have displaced Hondas Accords as the No. 1 theft vehicles in Manteca.

They accounted for a 20 percent jump in auto thefts in 2023 within the city limits that saw 317 vehicles stolen from 265 in 2022.

Vehicle thefts had dropped down to near 200 in Manteca during 2024.

A a rash of Kia and Hyundai thefts in recent months have been reported in Manteca.

Even though vehicle thefts are on an upward trend, it is a far cry from 2005 when thieves were stealing a vehicle in Manteca every 10.9 hours for a record 798 vehicles in one year.

That nose bleed number included one big rig left idling in front of a Manteca home and a Manteca Police patrol unit.

While most older models of both name brands are targeted, police have indicated that people who leave their doors unlocked tend to be more suspectable to theft.

It is why insurance coverage has become hard to obtain to cover the fill loss of a theft in the Kias and Hyundais.

The most prolific thief of Kias and Hyundais in Cook County where Chicago is located has been an 11- year-old connected with more than a dozen of the vehicles.

The Kia and Hyundai theft headquarters for the United States has been Minneapolis. That is where in 2022 there were 2,340 Kia and Hyundai thefts reported. That reflected an 836 percent increase over the previous year.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com