OAKLAND — Oakland has a car theft epidemic and it’s affecting people in different ways.
Jennifer Prakit not only lost her car but she said she still owes thousands of dollars on the car loan.
“Beyond furious. I’m still beyond furious,” Prakit said.
It has been three weeks since someone stole her 2019 Hyundai Sonata from the gated garage at her apartment building near Jack London Square in Oakland.
Jennifer Prakit via KPIX
Oakland police recovered the car within 24 hours but someone torched the interior. All that was left was the shell of a sedan.
Her insurance company Esurance recently denied her claim. She said Esurance dropped her comprehensive coverage because she failed to update her address when she moved from Florida to Oakland.
“The car loan is about $20,000, a little bit more with interest. But it’s right at $20,000. So, right now, I’m still responsible for that,” Prakit said.
She said the tow fee and storage fee add up to a couple thousand dollars. At this point, she’ll let the towing company keep the car.
“I feel like I’ve been treated like I’m the criminal and that’s not OK,” Prakit said.
Police say they have recorded 11,417 stolen cars in Oakland from Jan. 1 to Oct. 8. They said this number includes cars that were stolen in Oakland and cars stolen outside the city but recovered in Oakland.
Officers report a 50 percent increase in car thefts compared to the same period last year.
Investigators said they deal with a lot of Hyundais and Kias.
The thieves know many Hyundai and Kia models are easy to steal because they don’t have an ignition immobilizer, which is meant to prevent theft.
“I rented cars on the Turo app and then (used Uber). I probably spent, in the last three weeks, $1,200 getting back and forth to work in Corte Madera,” Prakit said.
Not only did Prakit lose a lot of money but she also lost her sense of safety. Once her apartment lease is up, she and her boyfriend will move out of Oakland.
“We’re going to move. I don’t want to be here. I’m concerned every time we leave the house with our car anywhere that it’s going to get taken,” she said.
Police advise drivers, especially if they own a Hyundai or Kia, to spend $20 to $30 on a steering wheel lock.
