Stolen Kia drives at officers leading to chase on Lake Ave; three teens charged

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Three Rochester teens are facing charges after a stolen car chase on Monday afternoon that ended on Lake Avenue.

Rochester Police say it all started around 3 p.m. when a Kia Sportage drove at two officers on Nielsen Street near Harris Street. The car was reported stolen from Greece. The officers jumped out of the way and neither was hurt.

Officers began chasing the car down Lake Avenue toward Driving Park. Because of traffic, officers had to end the chase. However, they found the stolen car abandoned a short distance away.

RPD worked with New York State Police and community members to catch the suspects who were in the area.

The suspected driver, a 15-year-old boy, is charged with reckless endangerment, criminal possession of stolen property, and unlawfully fleeing a police officer. RPD says the boy was on probation for previously possessing stolen property at the time.

In addition, police arrested two girls, 15 and 16, who they say were passengers. The girls are charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

In the first three months of 2023 alone, Rochester had a nearly 2,400% increase in thefts of Kias and Hyundais.

Local leaders have raised alarms about an increase in thefts for Kia and Hyundai models because of how-to videos circulating on TikTok. Leaders also say the automakers failed to add proper anti-theft technology, making the cars easy to hotwire with a USB cable.