DOVER, Del. – Dozens of cars were rummaged through, in two different parking lots in Dover. Luckily, only one of them was stolen.

Dover Police Department PIO, Ryan Schmid, said a popular internet trend contributes to some of the more recent upticks in vehicle crimes.

“Sometime between November 6th and November 7th, we had about over 50 cars broken into, in a certain geographic area on South DuPont highway,” Schmid said.

“This year, we had a big spike in Hyundais and Kias, obviously, because of the TikTok trend, the Kia boys,” Schmid added. “That has been a huge problem for us to kind of tamper down for a little bit, but obviously, it’s still a problem.”

Some break-ins come up with stolen items, others, a full-on joy ride.

“It’s kind of a situational based thing,” Schmid said.

“For the most part, it’s a quick thing. ‘Hey, I see this car here. I’m going to take it because it’s easy.’ Then, they go and take it to the next location– whether they’re going to a friend’s house or apartment– and once they’re done, they drop it off and take another one, when they’re at that new location,” Schmid added.

“Removing easily spotted valuables from your car is one way Schmid Said you can avoid a car crime.

“A lot of times, these are a crime of opportunity,” Schmid said. “We see all the time where people are walking up and down the street at night, just peeking in cars, and when they see something they like, they bust the window to get in the car and take it.”

And service manager at Delaware Tire Centers, Allen Cress, said making sure you only park your car in well-lit areas can help deter car thieves.

“Parking in dark alleys or parking in a secluded spot or something like that, less and less people are going to be able to see if somebody is trying to break in,” Cress said.