PINEVILLE, N.C. — A woman in Pineville said someone tore her car apart while trying to steal it.
While the criminal didn’t get away with her car, she believes all of the damage could’ve been prevented. She told Channel 9’s crime reporter Hunter Sáenz she’s not the first person at her apartment complex to be targeted solely because of her car’s make and model.
Sáenz could still see shattered glass on the ground just beneath the Hyundai Sonata it was broken out of. A trash bag now stands in place of a where a window should have been.
“A very traumatic experience,” she told Sáenz.
The car’s owner was still too shaken to show her face or share her name, but she wanted to sound the alarm after she believes she was the latest victim of a longtime TikTok trend. The video shows thieves how to quickly target Kias and Hyundais.
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“I had heard about the social media craze, the TikTok thing,” she said. “But that had been going on for a while. I didn’t know that it was still going on.”
She lives at Sabal Point Apartments off Lancaster Highway. She said when she woke up Tuesday morning, an officer notified her that her car had been broken into.
She said she believes whoever broke into her car got in through her back window and made their way to the steering wheel. They tried to start the car, but they didn’t have much luck.
The victim said she wasn’t shocked after hearing about two neighbors who had similar experiences last weekend.
“They actually took it and they ran it into a tree, so her car is totaled,” she said.
Pineville police said they’ve seen an uptick in stolen Kias and Hyundais and have given out steering wheel locks to help prevent it.
Back at Sabal Point Apartments, some want to see more security measures to thwart thieves.
“I would like to see some cameras up or something, or maybe police patrol a little bit more,” she said.
Sáenz reached out to apartment management to ask if they are doing anything different to help protect their residents. So far, he hasn’t heard back.
(WATCH BELOW: Stolen Kia victim says insurance company not cooperating)
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