Layla Ramirez of Indiana is living with multiple autoimmune diseases and is currently staying in Buffalo to take part in a clinical trial.
Two weekends ago she underwent an infusion and drove back to her Airbnb in the city, exhausted from the treatment. When she awoke, she found her 2021 Kia Soul had been stolen.
Although it wasn't just a matter of property being taken. Because of her medical condition, she needs her car to get around.
"My car, it's like an extension of myself because I can't get anywhere without it," she said.
She panicked when she realized her car was gone.
"I actually had the thought: Well, don't freak out because you might pass out because again of all my health things," she said.
Sadly, Layla isn't alone in this struggle.
Car thefts have continued to plague Western New York — which began during the pandemic.
The Buffalo Police Department just released its annual report which shows violent crime, especially shootings, is way down. But automobile thefts are another story.
In 2019, Buffalo police investigated 673 vehicle thefts.
Last year, 2,843 cars were reported stolen to the Buffalo Police Department — a 322% increase.
Last year, Paula Andrea and her friend Justine Link started a Facebook group, Western New York Stolen Vehicles, to connect victims of car thefts to resources.
They decided to start the group amid a sharp increase in thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles by groups of young people inspired by the "Kia Challenge" that went viral on social media platforms.
Now, she said, she's hearing about other kinds of cars being stolen.
"It's crimes of opportunity," she said. "So if the door is unlocked instead of just targeting certain cars or people that believe they're not going be a target.... or they are leaving their keys in their cars... We hear oftentimes they weren't aware of the issue."
Layla said she was lucky. There was very little gas left in her tank so her Kia was found abandoned quickly. She's now waiting for it to be repaired. She's hoping it doesn't get stolen again when she comes back to Buffalo for her next round of treatments.
