Kathy Hochul Sends Urgent Letter to Many People in New York State

Ad the leaves turn into fall, there will be quite a few things happening across New York state over the next several weeks.

This is a time of year that people are out and about; whether it's work, errands, football games, fall events and other recreational activities. The next six weeks will be extremely busy for many people in New York.

That means many of us will be driving more often. If you have looked through your mail over the past week or two, and you won a Kia or Hyundai vehicle, you probably have noticed a letter in the mail from the State of New York.

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On September 15th, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, sent a letter to all registered Kia and Hyundai owners in New York.

The letter emphasizes drivers who own a Kia or Hyundai to be on the alert because of elevated car thefts. The letter points to social media trends (such as TikTok), which demonstrate how to steal these vehicles, and the DMV, along with Hochul, are giving a heads up with this letter.

The letter says in part:

"While there are several reasons why car thefts skyrocketed in New York and around the country, many are due to videos posted to social media that demonstrate how to steal certain cars lacking anti-theft immobilizers. New York State is working to address this problem and protect public safety by increasing law enforcement efforts and prosecutions of car thieves."

The letter also gives resources to Kia and Hyundai owners, with website links and phone numbers people can contact to help with preventative measures.

The Kia car theft trend has been a huge issue on social media, and has caused many Kia's and even Hyundai's to be stolen across the state and across the country.