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Toyota carjacking plagues San Diego
They're not just going to Mexico
The car’s owner was beaten unconscious, and several suspects drove off in his black Toyota Camry.
Toyotas in San Diego County have become prime targets for thieves in 2025. Some of the stolen vehicles reportedly end up across the border, but others are said to ship overseas to places like Africa, Saudi Arabia, or Europe. And at least one crashed near San Diego State.
That last incident happened in early August, according to the owner, Albert M. “My Toyota 4 Runner was stolen last Friday," he reported, "and on the 5th of August, it was in a high-speed chase and injured other people.” NBC 7 News reported that Albert’s black SUV collided with a blue car after “it failed to yield while being pursued by officers.” San Diego Fire-Rescue added that one person suffered “major trauma and two with non-life-threatening injuries.”
Just weeks earlier, on July 14, another Toyota was stolen during a house party in the Bay Terraces neighborhood. According to 619 News Media, the car’s owner was beaten unconscious, and several suspects drove off in his black Toyota Camry. Safety license plate readers later picked up the car exiting the freeway near Chicano Park. By 11:25 pm, officers found the Camry near the 4900 block of Logan Avenue, detained five 18-year-old suspects, and recovered the vehicle.
Like many surfers and boogie boarders, he left his keys in a lockbox.
The rise in Toyota thefts echoes statewide trends. During the Covid pandemic, 4020 Toyota Camrys from the 2019 model year were stolen in California, ranking sixth on the state’s “most stolen vehicles” list, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Thousands of Camrys from other years were also taken. The same report noted that 2020 Corollas ranked eighth and 1999 Tacomas ranked tenth, with 2137 stolen that year.
In March, local YouTuber Chloe Kuo posted a video titled “Toyota Tacoma Thefts are Getting Worse… Why?!” In the video, Kuo, also a Tacoma driver, described how her friend’s truck was stolen after he went surfing. Like many surfers and boogie boarders, he left his keys in a lockbox attached to the vehicle. Thieves broke the lockbox free from the car, placed it inside the cabin to trigger the keyless entry system, and simply pushed the start button. “By the time he got back to his truck, it likely was already across the border, because we live in San Diego,” Kuo concluded. She added that thieves also target Tacomas’ tailgates and catalytic converters, which can be quickly resold on apps like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and OfferUp.
Around the same time, a Reddit user with the handle PerspectiveVisual230 posted a photo of their family’s modified 2021 Tacoma. “RIP to our family ride that became our teenage son’s dream truck. Stolen last week in San Diego and confirmed by border cameras that it was driven immediately into Mexico.”
Other Redditors chimed in, confirming that Toyotas are highly sought after and not just sent to Mexico. One explained: “They pull down your fender liner, plug in to the connector on your headlight, and start the car. Ten seconds later they're off with your ride, usually down to the port to be loaded on a shipping container to eastern Europe, Africa, or the Middle East.”
Here's something you might be interested in.
Toyota carjacking plagues San Diego
They're not just going to Mexico
Toyota carjacking plagues San Diego
They're not just going to Mexico
The car’s owner was beaten unconscious, and several suspects drove off in his black Toyota Camry.
Toyotas in San Diego County have become prime targets for thieves in 2025. Some of the stolen vehicles reportedly end up across the border, but others are said to ship overseas to places like Africa, Saudi Arabia, or Europe. And at least one crashed near San Diego State.
That last incident happened in early August, according to the owner, Albert M. “My Toyota 4 Runner was stolen last Friday," he reported, "and on the 5th of August, it was in a high-speed chase and injured other people.” NBC 7 News reported that Albert’s black SUV collided with a blue car after “it failed to yield while being pursued by officers.” San Diego Fire-Rescue added that one person suffered “major trauma and two with non-life-threatening injuries.”
Just weeks earlier, on July 14, another Toyota was stolen during a house party in the Bay Terraces neighborhood. According to 619 News Media, the car’s owner was beaten unconscious, and several suspects drove off in his black Toyota Camry. Safety license plate readers later picked up the car exiting the freeway near Chicano Park. By 11:25 pm, officers found the Camry near the 4900 block of Logan Avenue, detained five 18-year-old suspects, and recovered the vehicle.
Like many surfers and boogie boarders, he left his keys in a lockbox.
The rise in Toyota thefts echoes statewide trends. During the Covid pandemic, 4020 Toyota Camrys from the 2019 model year were stolen in California, ranking sixth on the state’s “most stolen vehicles” list, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Thousands of Camrys from other years were also taken. The same report noted that 2020 Corollas ranked eighth and 1999 Tacomas ranked tenth, with 2137 stolen that year.
In March, local YouTuber Chloe Kuo posted a video titled “Toyota Tacoma Thefts are Getting Worse… Why?!” In the video, Kuo, also a Tacoma driver, described how her friend’s truck was stolen after he went surfing. Like many surfers and boogie boarders, he left his keys in a lockbox attached to the vehicle. Thieves broke the lockbox free from the car, placed it inside the cabin to trigger the keyless entry system, and simply pushed the start button. “By the time he got back to his truck, it likely was already across the border, because we live in San Diego,” Kuo concluded. She added that thieves also target Tacomas’ tailgates and catalytic converters, which can be quickly resold on apps like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and OfferUp.
Around the same time, a Reddit user with the handle PerspectiveVisual230 posted a photo of their family’s modified 2021 Tacoma. “RIP to our family ride that became our teenage son’s dream truck. Stolen last week in San Diego and confirmed by border cameras that it was driven immediately into Mexico.”
Other Redditors chimed in, confirming that Toyotas are highly sought after and not just sent to Mexico. One explained: “They pull down your fender liner, plug in to the connector on your headlight, and start the car. Ten seconds later they're off with your ride, usually down to the port to be loaded on a shipping container to eastern Europe, Africa, or the Middle East.”
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