Minneapolis auto thefts surge 35% in early 2026 with 1,054 circumstances reported

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Town of Minneapolis has seen a dramatic improve in auto thefts up to now in 2026, inflicting rising stress on Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey to handle the scenario.

The worrying pattern was highlighted by Crime Watch Minneapolis , a volunteer-operated information group, which shared a graphic on X displaying how widespread the issue has turn out to be all through town. Greater than 1,000 auto thefts have been reported in January and February of this 12 months in Minneapolis, a metropolis of roughly 430,000 individuals. This represents a rise of almost 35% in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months, in line with Crime Watch Minneapolis.

The pattern seems to be persevering with into March, with not less than 14 reported auto thefts between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. on March 14 and 6 extra in the course of the afternoon on that very same day, in line with the information web site.

Over the previous couple of months, Walz and Frey have made quite a few statements attacking ICE and blaming federal immigration authorities for making town much less protected. Earlier this 12 months, the 2 have been the main target of a Division of Justice investigation into an alleged conspiracy to coerce or hinder federal regulation enforcement throughout U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies throughout a Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee listening to within the U.S. Capitol Constructing on March 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photographs)

Moreover, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara suggested to local media that Trump's Operation Metro Surge was a "contributing issue" to the rise in auto thefts as a result of "officers and investigators have been constantly pulled from their regular assigned duties."

"This isn’t an ICE downside," retired Minnesota State Patrol Lt. John Nagel informed Fox Information Digital. "It’s a deterrence downside."

"As a 30-year regulation enforcement veteran, I can let you know this: auto theft goes down when metropolis leaders make it a precedence and criminals know there might be penalties. We’ve seen that in St. Paul, the place centered enforcement drove automobile theft down sharply, whereas Minneapolis is again over 1,000 auto thefts in simply the primary two months of this 12 months."

Nagel, operating for Congress as a Republican towards Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s fifth Congressional District, informed Fox Information Digital that Frey and Walz have "spent years making excuses, undermining deterrence, and tolerating a revolving door for repeat offenders—particularly juveniles."

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Minneapolis auto theft areas in January and February 2026 compiled by Crime Watch Minneapolis. (Minneapolis Crime Watch)

"If you need fewer stolen vehicles, you want extra officers, proactive policing, prosecutors keen to behave, and a juvenile system with the capability to intervene earlier than these youngsters turn out to be profession criminals," Nagel stated, referencing the understaffed Minneapolis Police Division that has been severely understaffed since dropping 40% of its ranks after the dying of George Floyd in 2020.

A Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson acknowledged to Fox Information Digital that the division "continues to be understaffed" and pointed to variations between Minneapolis and St. Paul, together with the coverage that MPD does "not pursue stolen automobiles."

The spokesperson additionally reiterated the declare from Chief O'Hara that Operation Metro Surge was a "contributing issue" and stated that the 1,196 auto thefts within the metropolis 12 months to this point break down into: "Non-Kia/Hyundai automobiles taken with out keys — auto theft up 59%, Kia/Hyundai taken with out keys (ignition peeled and punched) auto theft up 25% (313 vs 251), Keys-In auto theft up 18% (291 vs 247) circumstances. Sufferer stated they left car operating, tried auto theft up 10% — 99 this 12 months vs 90 final 12 months. Automotive not really stolen."

"Whereas the current spike earlier within the 12 months reversed the pattern considerably, the rolling 12-month information nonetheless reveals that auto thefts stay 38% under their mid-2023 peak," the spokesperson stated, including that town "can be seeing indicators of a broader nationwide pattern involving using key-programming expertise to steal automobiles."

Fox Information Digital reached out to the places of work of Walz and Frey for remark however didn't obtain a response.

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A common view of downtown Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Photographs)

A spokesperson for County Lawyer Mary Moriarty informed Fox Information Digital that motorized vehicle thefts are "actually powerful for police to unravel," noting that solely about 3% of circumstances end in an arrest, making "deterrence a lot much less doubtless."

The spokesperson added that the workplace launched an initiative in mid-2023 in response to a spike in automobile thefts and stated College of Minnesota analysis later discovered a 58% drop in circumstances involving teenagers stealing vehicles for the reason that program started, although the official stated a number of components doubtless contributed to the decline.

"It takes a really wide-angle lens and adherence/curiosity in what the information really signifies to correctly deal with these dynamics," the spokesperson stated.