ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester resident McQuade Milligan's car was stolen in broad daylight.

“I just couldn't believe it happened to me at that time. At 3 p.m., right here in front of everyone, there had been 100 cars driving by,” Milligan said.

What You Need To Know

  • This year, nearly 1,700 car thefts have been reported, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office 

  • Social media trends highlighting how to steal these vehicles likely played a factor in pushing Kia and Hyundai models

  • Hyundai Elantra compact cars were stolen more than 48,000 times last year, while Hyundai Sonata sedans were stolen almost 43,000 times, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau

Milligan is reliving this nightmare for a second time.

“In 2021, I woke up one morning and my car was just gone and there was a pile of glass out front,” Milligan said. “And then from there I've just learned a lot about the issue in an unfortunate way, but I've definitely learned a little bit about it and how easy it is to steal these key start models.”

While living in Columbus, Ohio, Milligan’s 2020 Kia Forte was stolen and returned two days later by the police. 

“It was used a couple hours after it was stolen from my apartment in a drive-by shooting in Ohio,” Milligan said. “The car was recovered with piles of bloody bandages in it. First aid kit torn to shreds, just destroyed on the inside.”

Reimbursed by the company for another Kia model, Milligan had moved to Rochester with his new car and new installation of its anti-theft software, provided for Kia and Hyundai models. 

“I had that anti-theft software update installed, so I honestly thought it was safe anywhere I want in the world,” Milligan said. “So I had no knowledge of it being at risk again.”

It's been more than a year since the new anti-theft software updates installations, however what seemed like a quick fix for a nationwide problem, still has shown significant risks as thefts have spread from the inner-city to the suburbs in Rochester. 

“Just the opportunity of the vehicles,” Monroe County Sheriff's Office investigator James Coco said. “We have gotten a lot of support from residents in the city and I think they feel less pressure coming out of the county and committing these crimes.”

Last year, Rochester experienced a surge in car thefts, with more than 3,800 stolen. And just this year, nearly 1,700 car thefts have been reported so far according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. 

“It's gotten worse,” investigator Coco said. “I think it's becoming brazen. We have found some of these kids to be on the offensive when we're trying to take people into custody. We've got a lot of support from the county, so it's been a lot easier to remove kids, but the problem is still significant.”

Holding out hope for justice, and jail time for the repeated offenders committing these crimes, Milligan is just trying to get his life back on track.

“Any car in the world can be broken into,” Milligan said. “It's just a matter of them taking it away from you and destroying it because it's really going to set you back on your life plans for that. I had to cancel a lot of plans because my car got stolen and I knew I was going to have to spend a lot of money getting a replacement vehicle.”

Milligan shares that he is now part of a class action lawsuit against Kia in relation to his most recent vehicle theft case. He hopes his story spreads awareness to other vehicle owners, especially those of Kias and Hyundais.

Officials warn residents to assure your vehicle is safe to be in contact with your dealer for resources, utilize car clubs, be aware of your surroundings and most importantly be a good witness for police.