Kia, Hyundai vehicles targeted by thieves in New Kensington's Mount Vernon area

A New Kensington restaurant owner whose car was stolen from in front of her home said she worries about what the theft says not only about her neighborhood but the entire city.

Jillian Ludwiczak, who owns Jillian’s Restaurant with her husband, Phillip Call, said her 2014 Kia Optima was taken from her home on Summit Street in New Kensington’s Mount Vernon neighborhood before sunrise Thursday. It was found just a few blocks away on Sinclair Street.

Ludwiczak grew up in the neighborhood, and the restaurant carrying her name is nearby in the city’s Parnassus section.

“It makes me worried. I own a business here. It’s a little bit scary,” she said. “It’s not good for the neighborhood.”

Ludwiczak’s car was one of two Kias stolen in the past two days, New Kensington police Detective Sgt. Paul Manke Jr. said. The other, a Kia Soul, also was found.

Windows were broken on 10 vehicles in Mount Vernon and the surrounding areas, Manke said. The thieves appear to focus on Kia and Hyundai vehicles, which have been targeted for theft elsewhere in the Alle-Kiski Valley, in Pittsburgh and nationwide because they lack electronic immobilizers, a feature that stops thieves from bypassing the car’s ignition.

Research has found that anti-theft software upgrades for the vehicles have cut theft rates by more than half.

The car thefts come about a week after reports of possessions being stolen from vehicles parked on streets in the neighborhood across Seventh Street from Mount Vernon. At least two handguns were among the stolen items.

Police do not know whether the incidents are related, Manke said.

“This is awful,” said Michelle Pujol, who has lived on Riverview Drive in Mount Vernon for nearly 30 years.

Her doorbell camera didn’t capture anything.

“Every other day, there’s something, even if it’s just the flag blowing,” she said.

Two Kias parked on Riverview Drive on Friday were found with their rear driver-side windows smashed and their steering columns torn apart. Why they were not taken was not immediately clear.

Ed Seamon said he found the damage to his wife’s Kia SUV on Friday morning.

“I just don’t know what to do. We don’t have the money right now,” he said. “It couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

Heather Hrivnak, who grew up in a house on Riverview Drive, was visiting home for Christmas. She was scheduled to return to her home outside Columbus, Ohio, Sunday but wasn’t sure Friday whether that will be possible after her 2014 Kia Forte was severely damaged.

“Of course, I just got new tires over Thanksgiving,” she said.

Hrivnak said she read about the incidents online before looking out the window and seeing the driver-side back window of her car busted. Nothing inside her car was taken.

“I was about to call the police,” she said. “They were already here.”

Kyli Wiskeman said the stolen Kia Soul belonged to her neighbor and was taken between 3:30 and 3:45 a.m. Friday from the alley between Riverview and Pershing drives. Her cameras caught two juveniles she suspects were involved.

While they can’t be identified from the video, one is heavier set while the other is smaller. Both were wearing hoodies.

“It’s sad because people work for their money and work for their cars, and they’re destroying them for no reason,” Wiskeman said.

Wiskeman said she, too, owns a Kia, which she took in on a recall notice to address the vehicle’s theft vulnerability. While her vehicle wasn’t targeted, she’s worried.

“They obviously don’t care that people are reporting these,” she said. “It’s been days, and they keep doing it.”

New Kensington police are asking for anyone who might have video of the suspects to send them to Manke at manke@nkpd.org or to call the department at 724-339-7533. Videos and tips can be given anonymously.