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Baylor

A TikTok Challenge Drives a Three-Car Kia Theft Wave at Baylor

TXmotor vehicle thefttimely warningmedium confidence
Under Investigation

Baylor University police issued a Baylor Alert timely warning on January 11, 2024 describing three motor-vehicle thefts of Kia vehicles near campus: the first at University Parks Apartments on December 20, 2023, the second on January 8 in the 2000 block of S First St., and the third overnight January 10-11 in the 1900 block of S Ninth St. BUPD assistant chief Don Rodman tied the thefts to a TikTok challenge showing how to defeat the ignitions of Kia and Hyundai models built without engine immobilizers.

Alerts
1
Response
Killed
Injured
Institution
Baylor University
Private R1 · TX
~20,000 studentsBaylor Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction526 chars
BAYLOR ALERT — TIMELY WARNING: Baylor DPS is investigating three motor vehicle thefts of Kia vehicles in the campus area. The thefts occurred at University Parks Apartments (Dec. 20), the 2000 block of S. First St. (Jan. 8), and the 1900 block of S. Ninth St. (Jan. 10-11). These thefts are linked to a social media trend targeting certain Kia and Hyundai models. Owners are urged to use a steering wheel lock and install the manufacturer's anti-theft software update. Report suspicious activity to Baylor DPS at 254-710-2222.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The warning bundles three separate thefts spanning three weeks into a single notice, the hallmark of a Clery 'continuing threat' property warning rather than an emergency notification.
The text names the affected vehicle makes (Kia/Hyundai) and a concrete mitigation (steering-wheel lock, software update), reflecting how the manufacturer-specific vulnerability shaped the advice.
Exact alert wording was not published verbatim by an official archive; this reconstruction is based on the Lariat's quotes and summary, so it is marked unconfirmed.
Context

Background

The 2022-2024 surge in Kia and Hyundai thefts followed a viral TikTok challenge demonstrating how to start certain models built without engine immobilizers (Kias from 2010-2022 and Hyundais from 2015-2022). At Baylor, The Baylor Lariat reported that a Baylor Alert sent January 11, 2024 chained together three thefts — University Parks Apartments on December 20, 2023, the 2000 block of S First St. on January 8, and the 1900 block of S Ninth St. on January 10-11. BUPD assistant chief Don Rodman attributed the pattern to the social-media trend. The episode is an example of how a national vehicle-design vulnerability translated into a localized Clery timely warning, and how universities like Grand Canyon and others issued parallel Kia/Hyundai warnings during the same window.
Analysis

Key Findings

A national manufacturer vulnerability — Kia/Hyundai models without engine immobilizers — produced a localized campus timely-warning wave
The warning consolidated three thefts across three weeks, illustrating the Clery 'continuing threat' framing for property crime
Mitigation advice (steering-wheel locks, software updates) was make-specific, unusual for a generic property warning
Outcome
Police urged owners of affected Kia and Hyundai models to use steering-wheel locks and to take advantage of manufacturer anti-theft software updates. No arrests were reported in the initial warning.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
  2. Official
Tags
motor-vehicle-thefttimely-warningtexaskiahyundaitiktok-challengeproperty-crimeUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion