FISHERS, Ind. — Fishers police arrested four teens they said were breaking into vehicles at a Kia dealership Sunday morning.
Police said they responded around 5 a.m. to Napleton Kia, 13417 Britton Park Road, after police dispatchers received a report of of several people breaking into vehicles.
Officers arrived and observed one teen running north across the property. At the same time, officers noticed a black 2014 Kia Soul exit the parking lot.
Police said the black Kia Soul fled north in the southbound lanes of State Road 37. The vehicle crossed the median before turning south in the southbound lanes near Greenfield Avenue in Noblesville.
Officers deployed tire deflation devices on the highway. Police said the vehicle continued south and crashed near State Road 37 and Interstate 69, near 116th Street. Police took the driver into custody as three others ran from the crashed vehicle.
Officers from the Fishers Police Department and Noblesville Police Department set a perimeter and located all of the people from the Kia. Police said the Kia Soul had been stolen from a home in Indianapolis.
The thefts show the social media fad known as "The Kia Challenge" doesn't seem to be going away. The "challenge" involves breaking into certain Kia models and hotwiring them, just to take them on a joyride and leaving them trashed. Some have even posted themselves doing it in online videos.
In addition to the Fishers incident, a Kia theft near downtown Indianapolis is under investigation.
"I see it all over social media, so I know it's something going on," 22-year-old Will Brucks said.
The fad has gotten so much attention, IMPD recently offered Kia owners a mechanical anti-theft device known as "The Club" to put on steering wheels to prevent more thefts.
"When I was younger, it was doing random challenges like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and dump water on your head, not steal a person's car for internet fame," Brucks said.
Brucks discovered he was on the receiving end of the fad when he woke up Sunday morning.
"My car was gone, and my window was in the grass out front of my house," said Brucks, who said it happened near East 22nd and North Talbott streets.
As it turned out, the Kia recovered in Fishers Sunday wasn't Brucks' car. Police found his Monday near West 38th Street and Moller Road.
"The exterior is fine, but the interior is ruined," Brucks said. "It's undrivable now, and I'm a college student that lives off-campus. My car is my lifeline, especially to get to work."
Brucks said he hopes to to get new car soon and some sort of device to protect it. He said his new car wouldn't be a Kia.
Officers found six damaged vehicles in the Napleton Kia parking lot with either smashed windows or damage to the steering column.
Police said the teens arrested are between the ages of 14 and 16 years old.