CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) — 23-year-old Michaella Woodward said she is still in shock after her white 2020 Kia Forte was stolen from outside her home on Glendale Lane around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. It was parked on the street.
"A neighbor actually ran to my house, and she was like 'Your car was just stolen'," said Woodward. "I was a mess...I'm still in shock."
Woodward works at Tim Horton's. She said 25% of her paycheck goes toward paying for her vehicle.
"I think it's very pathetic that people think this is alright," said Woodward. "We work so hard for our money. I worked two years just to save up for that car, and now it's gone."
Neighbors told 7 News' Michael Schwartz that they saw three teens walk from the nearby field at Maryvale High School, and 15 minutes later they got in the Kia and drove away. The group walked past a Neighborhood Watch sign.
"They knew exactly what they were doing," said Amanda Kuczmanski. Her security camera captured the three young people that neighbors said stole the Kia.
"They had no shame in their game here, and it's an ongoing process that needs to end," said Vince Parlato, who witnessed it from his home across the street.
"This is a safe neighborhood," said Kuczmanski. "It's quiet we don’t usually have carjackings or people usually stealing cars so it was scary to see."
Cheektowaga Police Captain Jeffrey Schmidt said investigators are looking for the Kia. Schmidt said Cheektowaga had more than 100 vehicle thefts in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In 2023 there were 340 car thefts.
Captain Schmidt said there were 41 car thefts just in the first two months of 2024. That has resulted in more than a dozen arrests, with more than half of the people arrested 17-years-old or younger.
"A common misconception is it's all Kias, and that’s not true," said Captain Schmidt. "In this case, we are looking at a Kia, but for last year in 2023 just about 100 were Kias, and we had another 200 plus vehicles stolen in another way."
"I think it needs to end," said Kuczmanski. "These young kids are ruining their lives."
Kuczmanski is calling on lawmakers to make changes so that this doesn't keep happening.
"Something needs to change because someone's going to end up hurt or killed," explained Kuczmanski.
Police remind you to always lock your cars, never leave a vehicle running, and bring your keys inside.
