Kia Break-ins Return As The Kia Boyz Target West Michigan

It appears the “Kia Boyz” may be back to breaking into cars in West Michigan once again.

Over the past few years, there have been a string of break-ins to a lot of local vehicles in West Michigan, particularly Kia and Hyundai vehicles.

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This is a problem that led to hundreds of thefts over the past few years.

WZZM originally reported on these incidents back in 2023, and they continue to be an issue in 2026:

Police say a group of kids or younger adults steal the cars for fun or to then use them to commit other crimes and they learn how to do it on social media. They're called the "Kia Boyz" and they continue to target cars in West Michigan, specifically 2012 to 2022 Kia Sportage and Optima vehicles, plus Hyundai vehicles with standard key ignitions.

Back when this report came out, the Grand Rapids Police Department said there were 256 thefts and attempted thefts between May 1 and July 7, in2023

A post in the nosey asses of calhoun county 3.0 (unrated) group on Facebook, it appears that they are back and causing more damage to cars in the area, as the woman who posted suffered damage to her Kia:

The “Kia boys” are at it again. So… Kia owners… You only have a couple of options…
1) Park your car in your garage. (Don’t forget to shut the garage door! )
2) Hire personal security to guard your Kia! Make sure they come equipped with a flash light, a taser , and a security whistle!
3) Get cameras out there! (Even tho it won’t do a whole lot)
4) Just get rid of your Kia!