Moate woman's shock at TikTok videos of stolen family cars

A Moate businesswoman has spoken this week of her shock at learning that videos of two cars which were stolen from outside her family home were being widely shared on TikTok.

The two cars, a White BMW Series 1 and a White Audi A5 Coupe, were stolen from outside the home of Edita Karciauskiene on the Ballymore Road in Moate, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, March 10 last. The thieves accessed the car keys – which were on a hall table – by breaking a bathroom window to enter the property.

While Edita, who is the owner of Moate Beauty Therapy clinic in Moate, says the experience of having her house broken into and the two cars stolen has been “deeply traumatic and upsetting” for her and her family, she was even more shocked to learn that videos of stolen cars are regularly being shared on TikTok.

After seeing her car on the TikTok video sharing platform, Edita Karciauskiene said she found “multiple videos” showing similar burglaries and stolen cars on the popular video sharing platform. “What is most worrying is that this kind of content almost appears to encourage the behaviour, with people openly posting and, in some cases, seeming proud of it,” said the shocked Moate resident.

Edita said the type of content she viewed on TikTok should be taken “much more seriously” by the authorities as it creates a space where “individuals support each other in these activities, which is deeply concerning.” Beyond her own personal experience, she feels that there is a wider concern of public safety. “These vehicles can be used for further incidents and that is worrying for the whole community, not just for us” she points out.

One of the cars stolen in the March 10 theft in Moate was recovered on Saturday last in Navan, and a 45-year-old man appeared before a sitting of Drogheda District Court on Monday of this week where he was charged with being in possession of stolen property. The other vehicle has still not been recovered.

Edita says the situation that her family has experienced highlights the need for “better communication, coordination, and a stronger visible response” for those who are victims of crime. Due the fact that there were “multiple reports” of incidents in Moate on the night in question, Edita says the expectation was that there would be a strong Garda presence in the area and patrols “staying around” but she said it did not look to be the case.

This has prompted her to call for a more visible Garda presence in areas like Moate, and she says her family have also found it “very difficult” to replace important documents which were in her daughter's car at the time it was stolen. “Because she doesn't have any documents to prove her identity she cannot get another driving licence which means she cannot get a rental car and she needs transport to get to college,” says Edita, who likens the whole experience to being “stuck between two walls”.

She says the video content she has seen being shared on TikTok of cars being stolen and driven recklessly is “deeply disturbing and really scary” and she would like to see some action being taken by the authorities to identify the perpetrators involved.