Surveillance video after surveillance video shows SUVs crashing through glass windows or doors, helping criminals break into businesses to steal goods, money or ATMs.
One thing many of the videos have in common is the type of SUV used. Most often, it's a Jeep.
"Jeeps offer trim packages or, in models that are high performance, they have larger engines and they are able to operate at higher speeds," said Lt. Adam Broshous with the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force.
The CBS News Chicago Investigators received, through a public records request, several years' worth of data on stolen motor vehicles from the Chicago Police Department to find out how often Jeeps are targeted by car thieves.
The numbers reveal that between 2019 and 2024 Jeep thefts rose each year from 427 to 1,702, and then dropped to 1,180 in 2025.
That decrease mirrors a trend in overall motor vehicle thefts through 2025.
Comparing year-to-date numbers through August 1, 659 Jeeps have been stolen in 2026, a similar number to how many were stolen in the same time period in 2025.
The most commonly stolen Jeep model for 2026 is the Grand Cherokee, with just under 400 taken by thieves. That is the same model seen being used in many crash-and-grab crimes throughout the city.
"I've had three different Jeeps and they have been stolen four times," said Brian Fox, who lives in Logan Square. He said his Jeeps have always been stolen off the street.
Broshous said hotwiring a vehicle is no longer the way thieves steal cars. Now they clone or program keys; a practice, he said, that actually started with Jeeps.
"So Jeeps and Dodge products were pretty much the first manufacturer that we were seeing this trend with and have always been the most prevalent," he said.
It's not a specific manufacturer vulnerability, according to Broshous.
"The technology and the information coupled together makes it fairly easy, once you learn how to do it, to be able to do it quickly and quite often," he explained.
Our analysis of Chicago police data shows that the Durango is the most targeted Dodge model for car thieves.
Both Dodge and Jeep are made by Stellantis, who responded to questions about the number of stolen vehicles and the key cloning in a statement, writing, "Stellantis vehicles meet or exceed all applicable federal standards for safety and security. While such events are rare, they are not exclusive to any make or model of vehicle."
The company went on to say that it is "engaged in continuous product improvement." Stellantis urged motorists "to take due care in securing their vehicles." And pledged that "The security and protection of our customers are unsurpassed priorities."
Broshous also urged vehicle owners to park their vehicles in a garage, if they have access to one, rather than on the street and to consider using a steering wheel locking device or a club.
That's something Brian Fox might consider in the future.
"I've seen a lot of clubs lately and I'm like, oh, my God, these things are still around. I'm guessing it would probably help to have a club on your car," he said.
