AKRON, Ohio — A few days after Donna and John Testa's 2019 Kia Soul was stolen from their Akron driveway, a Stark County farmer found the vehicle abandoned with more than $4,000 in damage done to it.
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The steering column had been peeled, wires were dangling, and the car had front-end damage.
"The farmer called the Stark County Sheriff's Department and said we have a Kia in the field," Donna Testa said.
The couple was just one of several families in the Firestone Park neighborhood who had either a Kia or a Hyundai stolen or damaged from an attempted theft between 9 and 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 9.
Three of the cars were stolen. All of them have since been recovered.
But the aggravation and worries have continued for the victims.
With her Kia still under repair nearly three weeks later, Donna reached out to Kia to request a software update that would make the car harder to steal and an alarm system, but she said the car company told her the 2019 vehicle wasn't eligible.
"I said, 'What am I supposed to do? Have my car stolen again?' I called my insurance company. They said they'll continue to insure me now, but they can't guarantee that they'll insure me if it gets stolen again, which it will," she said.
Qasim Elshayeb, 19, showed News 5 home surveillance video that captured people trying to steal his father's Kia Sportage from their driveway.
A window was broken, and the steering column was peeled.
"The car alarm started going off and then we came outside right away, so they started running. If we weren't home, they probably would have gotten away with it," Elshayeb said.
The family got their car back on the afternoon of Nov. 29. The damage was around $2,000. They were saddled with a $1,000 deductible.
On top of that, there is stress from emotional worry after being violated at their own home. The family has two other Kias.
"My mom is kind of scared now because what if it happens again because we got more Kias?" Elshayeb said.
Captain Michael Miller said detectives continue to investigate the Firestone Park car thefts, but there are no suspects and very little evidence from the damaged vehicles.
Investigators believe the crooks are likely between the ages of 13 and 18.
"We're waiting to gather additional information to put the pieces together. The detective shared with me this morning that it is still very much their goal to solve these," Miller said. "This leaves scars on the minds and consciousness of the individual property owners, but (also) in the community, so we never take the approach that if we don't have specific leads that it's case closed."
Miller said Kias and Hyundais are the most stolen cars in the city. From January through October 2023, 86 Hyundais have been stolen, and 110 Kias have been swiped.
Donna Testa hopes that arrests are made soon in her case, but either way, she's not resting easy.
"I hope the catch them sometime, but they're gonna come into the driveway again. I know it. And try to steal my car again."
Anyone with information on the crimes is asked to call Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS.
