Arrest of 18-year-old suspected of trying to steal a Kia vehicle in Manitowoc comes amid rash of reported vehicle thefts

MANITOWOC – An 18-year-old man who recently moved to Two Rivers from Milwaukee was arrested Sunday night on suspicion of trying to steal a vehicle on the northeast side of Manitowoc.

A Manitowoc police report said officers responded to a suspected vehicle theft in progress at around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. When they arrived, the suspect fled and police pursued him on foot, eventually locating him at the corner of North 12th Street and Wisconsin Avenue, where he was taken into custody without incident.

The victim told police they had been inside their home when they heard the sound of glass breaking. When they looked outside, they saw the front passenger-side window of their vehicle had been broken and someone was inside. The victim then went outside to use their phone to take a video of the incident and observed the suspect trying to use a screwdriver to activate the ignition.

Police later found a screwdriver on Pine Street about 50 feet in the direction the suspect had fled. They said it is suspected to be the screwdriver used to try to enter and start the vehicle.

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According to the police report, the suspect told police he used to live in Milwaukee, where he was arrested for vehicle thefts as a juvenile. He had moved to Two Rivers in April 2024 to try “to better his life,” the report said.

He told police he had recently talked to old friends in Milwaukee who suggested he steal a Kia vehicle, “since they are widely known for being easy to steal,” and then drive the vehicle to Milwaukee.

The 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of operate vehicle without owner’s consent, entry into locked vehicle, disorderly conduct, resisting an officer and criminal damage to property. He was listed as an inmate at Manitowoc County Jail on Monday morning.

The Herald Times Reporter does not report the names of suspects until they have been formally charged with a crime in court.

The arrest comes days after police warned of rash of vehicle thefts in the city.

Manitowoc police on May 16 had issued a news release warning of a series of eight vehicle thefts that occurred in the city since January, with four of them happening in the past two weeks.

The thefts were reported at various locations in the city and involved multiple models of Kia, Hyundai and Honda vehicles, police said.

Police gave no indication Sunday night's arrest is related to these incidents.

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Anyone with information about the vehicle thefts that have occurred in the city could become eligible to receive a reward of up to $500 by calling Crime Stoppers at 920-683-4466 or by using the P3 app. People can remain anonymous if they choose and will need to reference Manitowoc Police incident 2024-00005586.

Brandon Reid is editor of the Herald Times Reporter. Contact him at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com, or follow him on X at @breidHTRNews.