NEWARK (KRON) — Car thefts are on the rise in the East Bay, and just overnight in Newark alone, thieves stole four vehicles and all the same type.

It was early Wednesday morning when the owner of a Honda Civic came out to the parking lot at the Newpark Mall and realized it had been stolen.

In less than 24 hours, four Honda Civics were reported stolen in Newark.

In fact, in the last few months, there have been 12 Civics in total reported stolen in the city alone.

Newark police Captain Chomnan Loth said Honda Civics are a popular car to steal.

And add this to the equation–-in neighboring Fremont, they had a 45 percent spike in auto thefts in June. And year to date, the Alameda County Regional Auto Task Force revealed to KRON4 that the Civic is the No. 1 car stolen with 78 stolen so far this year, and that is a 2 percent increase.

Captain Loth also explains that Civics tend to top lists because they are easy to steal.

Loth says they have a key that is easy to use again and again.

Just a few weeks ago, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reported that there were 49,547 Civics stolen last year, the second most-popular with Honda Accords ranking No. 1.

Loth says Civic drivers should get an aftermarket theft protection.

Loth says they are going over surveillance cameras from the recent locations where the Civics were taken, including at Newpark Mall.

And sometimes, police are able to recover the cars.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:

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