By Mark Shaffer
The Ironton Tribune

The Kia Boys Tik Tok trend has come to Ironton after a group of Greenup County teenagers broke into several cars and even stole one for a joy ride that ended in a collision with a truck.
The origin of the Kia Boys starts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where police noticed a rash of Kias and Hyundais being stolen in 2021. They didn’t have any leads until a video was released showing a teen driving a stolen car and nearly hitting pedestrians. That video was tagged Kia Boys or Kia Boyz. The video led to the “Kia Challenge” around the world in which people would steal Kias and then film themselves for internet clout.
“That trend has finally hit down here,” said Ironton Police Detective Brian Pauley, noting that he was warned about the trend locally from a colleague in the Chillicothe Police Department that was dealing with a Kia Boy situation. “What they are doing is stealing these cars, trying to get the police to chase them and then eventually crash the car. Then they run away on foot.”
Pauley said that’s what happened recently.
It started in Ironton on July 20 around 11:30 a.m., a 2015 Kia Forte was reported stolen.
Around 3 a.m. on Monday, Ironton officers were called to the intersection of Diederich Boulevard and Red Devil Lane in Flatwoods, Kentucky regarding the missing car, which had been in a collision with a semi-truck.
A Bellfonte Police officer had spotted the car in Bellefonte, saw it run through stop signs and then enter the Russell at a high rate of speed and where it ran a stop light.
According to police reports, the officer tried to stop the car as it was doing 75 mph, the driver tried to turn from Diederich Boulevard onto Red Devil Lane when the car crashed out into the left side of a semi-truck at the intersection.
The driver and front seat passenger bailed out of the Kia and ran into the surrounding woods.
Two other passengers, ages 16 and 15 years old, were found in the back seat of the Kia, complaining of minor injuries.
An ambulance was called to the scene and the two juveniles had to call their guardians to come to the scene.
A short while later, Ironton Police were notified by the Flatwoods Police that the driver and passenger, 16 and 17 years old, had been identified and had been located at their homes.
Driver is facing charges in Kentucky of criminal mischief, fleeing or evading police, receiving stolen property $10,000 or more, disregarding stop sign, disregarding traffic light and leaving the scene of an accident — failure to render aid or assistance.
The four boys were residents of Flatwoods and Ashland. Because they are all juveniles, their names are not being released.
The reason the Kia Boys target those particular cars is because of certain models of Kias and Hyundais, specifically those made between 2011 to 2021 don’t have an immobilizer, which is a security device that prevents a car from being started without a key. The thieves will use a screwdriver to pop off the ignition lock and then use a USB cord to start the car.
“So that is the vehicle that car thieves, especially young kids, are targeting right now,” Pauley said. “All the reports we have gotten have been on Kias and couple of Hyundais.”
Pauley has a simple safety security measure for anyone concerned about their car being stolen.
“You can go out and buy what they used to call The Club. It’s a lock that goes on your steering wheel,” he said. “And definitely don’t keep any valuables in your car, whether it’s a wallet or a debit card or whatever. Don’t have anything of value in your car right now.”