A vehicle theft surge targeting late‑model Hondas has hit the Fairmount neighborhood in Philadelphia, with three vehicles stolen during the past week.
FOX29 News reported that, according to Philadelphia Police statistics, 2,618 car thefts have occurred citywide so far this year, an increase of approximately 3.4% over the past month. Police said a 2023 blue Honda Accord was stolen from the 2500 block of Brown Street, and a Civic was stolen from the 500 block of North 21st Street last Tuesday, March 24.
The information provided by Philadelphia police corresponds with new findings from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The bureau has identified the top 10 most-stolen cars from last year, with the Honda Accord, Civic, and CR-V all appearing on the list.
Elise Palmer, of Roxborough, told 6abc that her 2023 Honda CR-V was stolen on March 14 from the 300 block of Kingsley Street.
Another Roxborough couple had a 2020 Honda Accord stolen on Feb. 20 from the 4500 block of Manayunk Avenue. Thanks to an AirTag inside the car, police officials were able to track the vehicle to the 800 block of North 45th Street in West Philadelphia.
“When I got there, my key fob did not work with the vehicle,” the vehicle owner said. “It turns out that the thieves somehow reprogrammed the vehicle, so it removes my keys from the system and works with whatever key they had at the time.”
MJ with JAB Locksmiths told FOX29, “They’re [Thieves] going after the push-to-start Hondas. Mainly, they want the newer models.” He explained that thieves are using devices easily available online to reprogram new car keys within minutes.
MJ said he has been installing GPS-enabled kill switches for clients’ cars, which cost between $200 and $600. Steering wheel locks are another suggested security measure and can be bought for approximately $50.