The New York Police Department is turning to Apple AirTags to combat the surge in stolen vehicles it blames on TikTok’s carjacking challenge. At a press conference Sunday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city will distribute 500 free AirTag tags to help residents track their cars if they are stolen.
Mayor Adams said there is a direct link between the increase in car thefts in the city and viral TikTok videos from thieves known as “Kia Boyz” that first appeared last summer. In clips posted to the platform, the pair have taught users how to exploit a Hyundai and Kia flaw that allows them to start a car using a USB cable and other readily available tools.
“You’ll see the uptick that we’re seeing right now is a big part of what’s happening on social media,” Adams said. According to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chill, the city has already seen 966 Hyundais and Kyases stolen this year so far, which is an increase of 819 vehicles from all of 2022. Meanwhile, 4,500 stolen cars were reported overall.
Apple’s AirTags are typically used to track things like a purse, purse, suitcase, or set of keys in real time, but they’re also useful when helping people track down their stolen cars. Although the city encourages residents to hide AirTags inside their cars to make them more difficult for thieves to find, the AirTag security feature may alert a thief to their presence anyway.
The NYPD will not have access to the real-time location of AirTags you provide. Mayor Adams notes that people will have to notify the police department that their car has been stolen and then give the authorities permission to track their vehicle. The city is only distributing AirTags, which it received as a donation from the nonprofit Society for a Better New York, to residents of Castle Hill, Soundview and Parkchester, who can call their local city to get one, according to CBS News.