Philadelphia police investigating car theft ring targeting Honda vehicles

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The Philadelphia Police Major Crimes Unit is currently investigating a car theft ring targeting Honda vehicles throughout the city of Philadelphia.

Of the more than 2,600 cars stolen so far this year, police say 747, or about 30%, are Hondas.

Philadelphia Police Captain Robert McKeever told Action News that Hondas are the number one target of thieves, with Accords and CR-Vs being the most popular models stolen. McKeever said Honda parts are universal, which makes them attractive to steal.

This information from police jives with newly-released data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. It has listed the top 10 most stolen cars from last year, with the Honda Accord, Civic and CR-V all making the list.

Residents in Roxborough are now voicing concerns about stolen Hondas in their neighborhood.

Elise Palmer, of Roxborough, had her 2023 Honda CR-V stolen on March 14 from the 300 block of Kingsley Street.

“When the police officer came out, he said they that were being targeted. Honda CR-Vs, specifically,” she said.

Action News also spoke with a Roxborough couple whose 2020 Honda Accord was stolen on February 20 from the 4500 block of Manayunk Avenue.

With an AirTag inside the car, they were able to track it to the 800 block of North 45th Street in West Philadelphia.

“When I got there, my key fob did not work with the vehicle,” the car owner said. “It turns out that the thieves somehow reprogrammed the vehicle, so it removes my keys from the system and works with whatever key they had at the time.”

The couple had their car towed and fixed. They’ve now added new accessories to the vehicle in order to secure it.

“I have a club now. I’m trying to get a kill switch for the vehicle to protect it. And, I still have the Apple AirTag in there to make sure I can find it in case this happens again.”

Both the couple and Palmer said they want to spread the word that this is happening, so other Honda owners in the area can be aware.

Palmer said, “It feels violating for the most part that someone can come and take your stuff.”