Auto thefts in Manteca have plunged 66 percent since 2002 while the population has mushroomed 86.5 percent.

There were 798 vehicle thefts in 2002 when Manteca had 52,000 residents.

Last year, there were 225 vehicle thefts with a population of 97,000.

And so far this year through June 30, Manteca is on pace to come in at less than 225 by year’s end.

Back in 2002, the San Joaquin Valley was a hot bed not just for auto thefts in California but nationally as well.

The Top 10 list for the nation in terms of per capita thefts included seven California including four in the San Joaquin Valley — Modesto, Stockton, Fresno, and Bakersfield

Today, there are only three Golden State cities in the Top 10 nationally with none in the San Joaquin Valley.

The list is topped by Los Angeles-Long Beach at 53,911 vehicle thefts, Oakland-San Francisco Fremont at 22,119, and Riverside-San Bernadino at 14,111.

The continued downtrend in vehicle thefts is also happening statewide.

The California Highway Patrol Tuesday announced 2025 statistics show 133,381 vehicles were stolen statewide — one every four minutes — at an estimated total value of $1.2 billion.

That is a 24.3 percent decrease from 2024

Some 84 percent of the vehicles — or 111,161 — were recovered last year.

Of those 55.2 percent were recovered intact and in drivable condition, 27.3 percent were intentionally burned and/or wrecked, 6.6 percent were stripped of minor parts, and 3.8 percent were missing major parts.

There were 2,678 thefts in San Joaquin County last year, down 20.4 percent from 3,363 in 2024

The top seven pickups for theft last year were all Chevrolet Silverados with the No. 1 year being 2001 models (689 stolen) followed in descending order by the years 2002, 2004, 2005, 2003, 2006, and 2000.

The 2016 Kia Soul was the top SUV stolen at 353 units.

Topping the automobile list at 755 was the 2013 Hyundai Elantra.

Vehicles by Hyundai, Kia, Infinity, and Honda account for all but one of the 40-top stolen automobiles in California last year. The only American nameplate was the 2019 Dodge Charger that came in at 37th with 233 thefts.

The top three stolen motorcycles were the 2023 Hondas (103), the 2022 Honda (100), and the 2024 Yamaha (94).

Manteca vehicle thefts

peaked at 798 in 2004

At the peak of the auto theft frenzy in Manteca when 798 vehicles were stolen in 2004, about 20 percent of all cars taken were either left with keys in the ignition or with engines running and unattended.

It wasn’t unusual in 2004 for at least once a month for police to get a report of a car being stolen by someone who started it up to warm the engine and then went inside for a cup of coffee.

What makes it ironic is post 1990 vehicle engineering plus Manteca’s mild weather makes warming up a vehicle superfluous.

The heavy meth trade back in 2004 that police leaders blamed on a voter proposition that essentially decriminalized the possession of the drug put Manteca in a precarious location sandwiched between Modesto and Stockton that jockeyed for several years for the No. 1 and No. 3 rating when it came to national per capita auto thefts.

There was a drop off in Manteca of 127 auto thefts in 2005 when 671 were stolen.

The year didn’t start off on a good note, as the first week saw the theft of five vehicles including a marked Manteca Police unit that was stolen by a fleeing suspect who crashed it into trees on Fremont Avenue just off North Street.

Manteca Police were further hampered by the fact the overcrowded jails meant that if they arrested someone for auto theft there was a good chance that if they could not post bail before their trial they would be turned lose.

At least three times during 2005, Manteca Police arrested auto theft suspects that were awaiting trial on other auto theft charges.

Police tackled the wave of auto thefts by setting up bait cars in high crime areas to catch auto thieves in the act and then cutting off the engine.

They also did a full-scale education effort telling the public repeatedly to not keep their engines running or keys in the ignition.

At one point, a semi-truck tractor was stolen in front of a Manteca residence where the driver had left the engine running.

Police – along with the CHP – got involved in a high speed chase and got lost when the theft took the truck off the Altamont Pass freeway and cut across train tracks and left the truck in a field and fled on foot.

At one point the police proposed making it a citable offense to leave your keys in the vehicle. Public sentiment derailed the move but the public heard the message.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com