Montgomery County recorded 1,569 vehicle thefts in the year ending July 28, a 22% spike from the previous 12 months, even as car theft fell across Maryland and the region.

The county's surge bucks every nearby trend. Maryland State Police reported an 8% statewide decline. Prince George's County dropped 25%, Anne Arundel fell 20%, and Washington, D.C., plummeted 51%, according to data The Banner first reported Thursday, Aug. 27.

For Potomac residents, the numbers land close to home. Montgomery County Police logged vehicle thefts near River Road and Pennyfield Lock Drive during the weekend of Aug. 21–23, and two more thefts in the 1st District, which covers Potomac and Rockville, on Aug. 20, according to Patch crime reports. The 1st District is not among the county's three highest-theft zones, but recent incidents show the trend is not confined to Silver Spring, Wheaton and Gaithersburg.

Police blame two technologies for the surge: inexpensive key-fob signal interception devices, originally made for locksmiths, and social media tutorials showing how to steal certain Kia and Hyundai models. Those influencer-inspired thefts have plagued the county since 2022, police said.

"A stolen car is not just a property crime," Capt. Cody Fields, the Montgomery County Police Department's director of media, told The Banner. "These cars can be used for burglaries, for robberies or other crimes."

As of July 28, police had arrested 136 people linked to stolen vehicles in the county this year. Ninety were minors.

The juvenile connection turned fatal on Aug. 4. A stolen 2015 Kia Optima carrying seven children ages 12 to 15 ran a red light at Clopper Road and Great Seneca Highway in Germantown at about 5:25 a.m., striking a Toyota driven by William Vance Payne II, 58, of Berryville, Virginia, according to WTOP. Payne, a mechanical engineer who spent 29 years at NIST's Gaithersburg campus, was pronounced dead at the scene. He is survived by his wife and five children.

The 13-year-old driver was hospitalized in critical but stable condition. The six passengers were taken to trauma centers with varying injuries, NBC Washington reported. The Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office will decide whether to file criminal charges after investigators present their findings.

Thaddeus Johnson, senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, suggested thieves may be displacing from jurisdictions that cracked down. Christopher Herrmann, associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, noted that juvenile offenders face lighter prosecution, reducing deterrence.

County car thefts had been declining since a 2023 peak of 3,366 stolen vehicles, the highest total since 2016. Even with the current spike, the county is on pace to fall short of that record.

Montgomery County Police and AAA Club Alliance recommend residents store key fobs away from front doors and consider an RFID-blocking case, use an older-model steering wheel lock, park in well-lit areas with cameras, and lock all doors and windows.