AUSTINTOWN — Car thieves operating in other parts of Mahoning County have made their way back to Austintown.

While Boardman has seen more than two dozen thefts and break-ins since late September, the thieves work in Youngstown and Liberty Township, and police say there are connections between them.

“Between Youngstown and Liberty right now, the three of us are working together,” said Sgt. Greg McGlynn of the Austintown Police Department. “I would assume it’s probably the same group.

I don’t think it’s just one group, it’s several different groups.”

Last weekend, thieves who started their feast in Liberty made their way to Austintown, and on Tuesday, seven vehicle complaints were reported, including one vehicle theft.

“The first incident happened on the 10th and they continued until the 11th, but most people didn’t realize it until the 12th when they were reported,” McGlynn said.

McGlynn said the suspects stole a 2019 Kia Optima in Liberty, then drove it to Austintown, where they abandoned it at the Central Park West apartments on Nantucket Drive. They then searched several vehicles in that complex and nearby area, stealing a 2021 Jeep Trailhawk.

Additionally, a wallet was reported stolen from a vehicle on Rhode Island Drive; an attempted theft of a 2020 Kia Soul was reported on West Hampton Drive. Other reports included an attempted theft of a 2020 Hyundai Venue on Rhode Island Drive, a 2015 Nissan Altima stolen from Compass West; and an attempted theft of an undisclosed vehicle on Nantucket.

That Jeep was left unlocked with the keys in the ignition, McGlynn said. The vehicle was involved in two pursuits by Youngstown police later that day.

During the second pursuit, a man was seen running from the vehicle, and Youngstown police deployed a drone to locate him using its heat signature.

Seandale Thompkins, 18, of Youngstown, was arrested and charged with fleeing and eluding, a third-degree felony, and receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony. McGlynn said police are still gathering evidence to prove Thompkins stole the Jeep.

On Tuesday, Boardman police also reported a white sedan matching the description of one seen in Austintown filled with men wearing black clothing and ski masks. The vehicle was seen driving slowly on Hillman Way with the windows down. A witness told police that men matching the same description ran toward the Hillman Way apartments from the direction of a nearby Burger King. Witnesses in Austintown — on Nantucket — described the same vehicle and a tall man wearing black clothing and a ski mask.

McGlynn said Thompkins has a record of receiving stolen property and carjacking dating back to his teenage years. He is one of several recently released from the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center, where they served time for vehicle-related offenses.

McGlynn said he believes the same group and others are at work again.

“But we still have nothing to prove,” he said. “We have some videos and they’re all younger men.”

McGlynn said the group is between the ages of 15 and 18 and suspects there are at least three different groups of three to five working in Mahoning County.

“It’s a handful, I’d say three to five, it depends on the night, but they never act alone,” he said. “Usually there’s someone driving and two to three on horseback, so they have the bodies to steal as many cars as they can get the boys to do.”

He said thieves are getting smarter too.

“They’re dressed all in black, with their faces covered, they’re wearing gloves, long sleeves, so they don’t leave as much evidence behind,” he said.

McGlynn said several of the juveniles who were arrested last year were caught by fingerprints or DNA. The theft method for the vehicles they target – mostly Kia and Hyundai models due to a design flaw that makes them easy to steal – involves removing the steering column cover and using a USB cable to turn on the ignition.

McGlynn said many of them left fingerprints on steering column covers or USB cables, while others cut themselves when they smashed vehicle windows and left blood in cars.

Last year, Austintown Police Lt. Shawn Hevener told The Vindicator that the township handled at least 40 vehicle thefts between August 2022 and October 2023.

McGlynn said Kias and Hyundais still account for the vast majority of thefts and attempted thefts they see, but actual thefts are down this year as many Kia and Hyundai owners take their cars in for a security upgrade which overrides the USB method.

“That’s why we’re seeing more attempted thefts and fewer successful thefts,” he said.

“Hopefully next year they’ll all be updated and we won’t have to deal with this anymore.”

Officials recommend using steering wheel locks as a visible deterrent, even after getting the software upgrade.