A surge in car thefts is hitting Minneapolis again, and it may already be worse than the numbers suggest.
According to KSTP’s reporting, at least 66 vehicles were stolen between March 20 and the station’s report, based on Minneapolis Police Department data. That figure captures a short window, but it still points to a sharp spike in activity.
Overall, thefts are up roughly 26 percent compared to this time last year, and what stands out is how the cars are being taken. Police say thefts involving vehicles outside of the older Kia and Hyundai vulnerabilities are up nearly 60 percent, with newer methods allowing thieves to take cars without ever needing the owner’s key.
Not Just Smash-And-Grab Anymore
Embedded media follows. Please allow a moment for it to load.
In one case, a Minneapolis father woke up to find his locked Chrysler gone from his driveway, even though his keys were still inside his house. That was the first sign this was not a traditional theft.
According to reporting, groups of teens are now targeting a wider range of vehicles, including higher-performance models like Dodge and Jeep, using key-programming devices that can effectively create a new key on the spot. In this case, the thieves went even further, sending the owner photos and videos of the car and demanding money to reveal its location.
He and his family tracked it down themselves later that night in an apartment parking lot. The car started right up when he used his own remote, but the damage was already done. The windshield and sunroof were broken, and personal items, including his child’s car seat, were thrown out.
A Shift Toward High-Tech Theft
Law enforcement says this is part of a broader trend, with key-programming devices recovered in recent arrests, sometimes involving very young suspects. At the same time, online discussions and industry chatter suggest thieves are experimenting with multiple entry points, from relay-style attacks to accessing a vehicle’s internal systems directly.
Some claim older precautions, like storing keys in Faraday pouches, may not be enough on their own if thieves can bypass the key entirely. Others point to layered security measures, such as immobilizers or physical locks, as more effective deterrents.
Those claims vary and are not always verified, but they point to a clear shift. This is no longer just about breaking a window and hotwiring a car.
“You Could Be Using That Skill for Something Else”
Minneapolis police say a relatively small group of repeat offenders is responsible for a large share of these thefts, and that investigators are working to identify them. At the same time, the department acknowledges that it does not have a dedicated auto theft unit and has fewer property crime investigators than in 2020.
For victims, that gap is hard to ignore. The man who tracked down his own car said he turned over everything he had to police, including videos, photos, and social media accounts tied to the suspects, but felt little would come from it.
He also made an observation that sticks. What he saw, the way the car was started and handled, looked like real technical skill. The kind that could just as easily be used for legitimate work instead of taking someone’s vehicle.
The Bigger Picture
For now, police are urging people not to try to recover stolen vehicles on their own, even if they have tracking information. If a car is located, they say to call 911 and let officers handle it. The underlying issue is getting harder to ignore. If you think a modern car cannot be started without the key, that assumption is quickly becoming outdated.
With 66 vehicles taken in that short reporting window, a bigger question emerges. Not just how it is happening, but how often it is happening now.