DENVER (KDVR) — Two people who appear to be teens spent 45 minutes casing and breaking into a car before stealing it Saturday night.

The owner was in disbelief after watching not only his one vehicle being taken, but just how young the two thieves were.

“The biggest inconvenience is just financially for us. For young kids to pull something like that at someone else’s expense, it just sucks to see,” said the owner of the stolen Hyundai, who did not want to be identified for his safety.

Hyundai theft caught on camera

Denver Police and that owner are asking for the public’s help in identifying the two thieves. The pair were targeting a 2018 Hyundai Tucson parked near a home.

The theft was caught on surveillance video. It shows that after checking out the car for a few moments, they smash in the car’s rear window and run.

The car was locked and had an alarm, but the owner said it did not go off. The two returned a short while later and stole the vehicle.

“As we were watching the video, as they were here for 45 minutes, they kind of seemed like amateurs. It took them about 45 minutes. It makes sense that they are younger with a Hyundai and maybe getting a video off TikTok or something like that,” the car’s owner said.

Surveillance video shows two people inside a Hyundai that has its rear driver window busted out
Surveillance video shows two people stealing a Hyundai near Sloan’s Lake.

FOX31 has previously reported on a TikTok challenge showing people how to steal certain types of cars. Cars like Hyundai and Kia are popular among thieves.

This one tool can help prevent car theft

The technicians over at AT Audio on South Federal Boulevard told FOX31 the most popular cars to be stolen lack immobilizers.

“The factory alarm is just not that good, to be honest,” said Fernando Alba-Torres, an AT Audio technician.

He said the best thing to do is to provide an after-market alarm system, as sometimes, the factory system doesn’t work that well. They don’t have a built-in starter kill, Alba-Torres added.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said that across the country, the theft claim frequency for Hyundai and Kia vehicles was nearly four times as high as other makes from July-December 2022.

The Denver Police Department has started the Denver Auto Theft Team which allows people to register cars which may help them track stolen cars.

If you recognize the two who stole the Hyundai here near Sloan’s Lake, your asked to call Metro Denver Crime stoppers.