NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nearly 13 cars are stolen every day in Nashville.
This year's numbers are much worse than last year.
In Nashville, auto thefts are up more than 48%. So far this year, there have been 3,237 auto thefts. That's about as many as all of 2022 when there were 3,293.
NewsChannel 5 spoke to a woman who on two occasions this summer had her locked car involved in a crime. Unbelievably, after her car was stolen right outside her front door and then recovered by police it was broken into a few weeks later. She asked us to keep her identity hidden to protect herself.
"It causes your anxiety to go through the roof, and everything just feels like it's crashing down on you," she said.
In seven of the eight police precincts, auto thefts are up.
Here is the breakdown:
Central: -8.3%
West: 0.9%
East: 22.6%
Hermitage: 25.2%
North: 43.1%
Madison: 49.8%
Midtown Hills: 69.1%
South: 102.5%
In south Nashville — where there have been more than twice as many auto thefts this year — people appreciate when police officers patrol.
The woman who talked to NewsChannel 5 thinks apartments could do a better job keeping thieves away.
"Our building does not have security lights. We have poles, but the lights are so dim you barely can even tell any light is on at all," she said.
NewsChannel 5 asked Metro Nashville Police Department authorities what could be fueling the uptick. They said one factor is certainly the viral Kia and Hyundai theft trend. There's been a 259% increase in auto thefts for those two makes of vehicles. As of early September, MNPD reports 433 more Kias or Hyundais stolen so far this year than all of last year.
You may be wondering how often your community is targeted by car thieves.
According to Metro Police, zip code 37013 has seen the most thefts with 600 this year alone.
The Gulch and Edgehill have seen 166 car thefts, whereas downtown has seen 41. The community with the least is zip code 37080, which includes Joelton, where only 3 cars have been stolen this year.
