The one-car crash shut down traffic for most of the day and left at least 6 people injured or dead.

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The early morning hours on Monday, October 24, 2022, saw a terrible single-car rollover crash on the interchange from Route 33 westbound to Route 198 westbound.

When police and emergency crews responded to the crash, they found 6 teens who were injured.

The car, which had 6 people inside of it, was totaled in the rollover crash and 3 of the teens were pronounced dead at the scene. Another teen died after arriving at the Erie County Medical Center for treatment, and a 5th teen was listed in serious condition.

Of the 6 occupants, 5 were ejected from the car during the crash. The driver of the vehicle was the only one who remained in the vehicle after the crash and was uninjured.

After an investigation by Buffalo Police, it was found that the vehicle involved in the crash was reported stolen late Sunday night. Joseph Gramaglia, Commissioner of the Buffalo Police Department noted that he has suspicion that the car was stolen because the kids may have been participating in the Kia Challenge that has been trending on social media.

What Is The Kia Challenge

According to Car and Driver Magazine, the Kia Challenge is a viral trend that started on the social media app Tic Tok where people steal Kia and Hyundai cars that have a key-based ignition. Some of the videos that have been posted to social media have shown that these vehicles can sometimes be stolen by using a standard USB cable.

Officials from the Buffalo Police Department, along with other police departments from across the country, have stated that thefts of Kia and Hyundai cars have skyrocketed over the last few years. Buffalo has seen these thefts more than triple since 2020.

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