Updated: UK officials looking for suspects accused of stealing cars from university garage
University of Kentucky Police are investigating after multiple vehicles were reportedly stolen from a university garage over the weekend.
At least two vehicles were stolen from the Cornerstone Garage at the corner of South Limestone and Winslow Street Saturday, university officials said. Police also received several reports of stolen items from vehicles in Cornerstone and in multiple lots across campus.
Presley Hall, a new student at UK, said she is one of the victims who had her car stolen. She discovered the theft when she was going to work Monday. She contacted UK police when she couldn’t find her car in Cornerstone Garage, and authorities reviewed surveillance footage and saw it leaving the garage at approximately 4 a.m. that morning.
“Everybody was telling me how safe it was and nobody’s ever had a problem,” Hall said.
Hall’s car was later found abandoned in Lexington, she said. The car was wrecked and stripped of its ignition parts.
“They wrecked it and it’s all scratched up. The windows are busted,” Hall said.
Hall said Tuesday she doesn’t know if her car, a Kia, will be salvageable. She said she’s leaning towards getting a new car so she doesn’t find herself in a similar situation in the future.
“Apparently Kias are the ones that are being targeted, Kias and Hyundais,” Hall said. “Because apparently they’re really easy to hotwire and access.”
Lexington police previously saw a surge in car thefts due in part to a TikTok trend of people stealing Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Police have released surveillance photos of the suspects in hope of identifying the individuals involved. University officials said the suspects are not connected to the campus community.
Anyone with information about the suspects of the stolen vehicles is encouraged to contact UKPD at 859-257-8573.
University officials also provided several tips to avoid car thefts.
- Ensure there are no valuables visible in your vehicle, on or off campus.
- Call UKPD if you have any property stolen on campus or notice something suspicious.
- Maintain a thorough record of your valuables, including photographs, serial numbers, makes and models, etc.
- Make sure all doors are locked.
UK announced the thefts Monday, which was the university’s first day of class this semester.
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 7:11 AM.
