Several vehicles broken into at Avalon Apartments

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A string of car break-ins happened at a Wilmington apartment complex over the weekend, but the break-ins only affected two types of cars. 

WWAY received an anonymous tip that several cars were broken into Saturday at Avalon Apartments off Darlington Ave. 

We reached out to the Wilmington Police Department, who confirmed that multiple vehicles had their windows smashed. It appears thieves were trying to hotwire the vehicles. 

Almost all of the vehicles affected were Kias and Hyundais manufactured between 2016 and 2019.  

These vehicles are often targeted due to their lack of anti-theft safeguards, including car immobilizers.  

We spoke with Dillon Clancy, who lives at the apartment complex. 

“I just know a couple months ago, I know someone that had their car broken into, but that at least seems unrelated because it’s not the same brand, or make,” he said. 

We reached out to the company that owns Avalon Apartments, Southwood Realty, though they did not wish to comment at this time. 

According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, theft insurance claims for vulnerable Hyundai and Kia models increased more than 1000% from 2020 to 2023.  

If you have a Kia or Hyundai that may be at risk, you can reach out to your local dealer to have those safeguards installed.