The January spike in auto thefts in Minneapolis persisted through February, ending the month with a total of 1,054 auto thefts so far this year. That’s up nearly 35% over the same period last year, which saw 785 at the end of February 2025.
Alpha News previously reported that auto thefts in January were up over 31% from the same period last year. A brief statement from a Minneapolis police spokesperson in January suggested cold weather played a role in the increase with people leaving their vehicles unattended and running.
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Blue dots are the 1054 Minneapolis auto thefts for Jan and Feb 2026, an increase of nearly 35% over the same period last year, which had 785 at the end of Feb 2025. pic.twitter.com/hbOEoSQfta— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) March 4, 2026
Minneapolis police crime dashboard data indicate that most of the auto thefts this year have occurred across south Minneapolis, accounting for nearly half the total number. The areas of northeast and southeast, including areas surrounding the University of Minnesota, accounted for the next highest number of auto thefts.
The first couple of days in March kept with the elevated trend, according to police data posted by Crime Watch Minneapolis, which showed nearly 30 auto thefts on Sunday and over 30 on Monday.
There were also several property damage reports on Monday, which included several vehicles with windows smashed at a south Minneapolis business on 26th Avenue South, a worker relayed to Crime Watch.
Submitted: The company I work for has a location in Minneapolis, just after 10am someone walked through the parking lot and busted the windows out of all the employees vehicles (26th Ave S).
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The 911 dashboard shows several damage reports overnight and into this morning,… pic.twitter.com/QAbKvceVKO— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) March 2, 2026
Local Twin Cities media have yet to report on the recent spike in auto thefts
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
