Surveillance Video Shows Teens Crashing Stolen Car Into Tempe Smoke Shop; Three Arrested

Tempe Police Department

By: Ciara Perez | Investigative Journalist | iSkyNews.com (ISC News)

Published November 21st, 2025

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Surveillance Video Shows Teens Crashing Stolen Car Into Tempe Smoke Shop; Three Arrested

TEMPE, Ariz. — Tempe Police shared surveillance footage with iSkyNews.com after three teenagers were arrested in connection with a wild burglary that left a local smoke shop heavily damaged and thousands of dollars in merchandise gone.

It all happened just after 3 a.m. on November 2, 2025, at Up in Smoke, a shop near Baseline Road and Mill Avenue. Officers arrived to find the front entrance destroyed—glass everywhere, the metal frame bent in, and parts of a car scattered across the floor.

Detectives later learned that a 16-year-old behind the wheel of a stolen red Kia had slammed the car straight through the front of the building. The video shows the teen casually stepping out of the crashed car, grabbing a cooler, and filling it with vape products before running back out. Instead of fleeing on foot, he hopped into another stolen car—a black Kia—waiting in the parking lot with another teen behind the wheel.

Both vehicles were reported stolen out of Phoenix.

The shop owner told police the total loss was around $30,000, between the stolen items and the extensive damage to the storefront.

Over the next several days, detectives worked the case, eventually identifying three teens believed to be involved. All were arrested and their charges forwarded to juvenile court.

Arrests:

15-year-old arrested November 4 — Unlawful Use of Means of Transportation
14-year-old arrested November 14 — Two Counts of Theft of Means of Transportation
16-year-old arrested November 19 — Burglary in the Third Degree and Theft of Means of Transportation (he’s the one seen entering the store on video)

Tempe Police said they remain committed to helping business owners recover and making sure those responsible for property crimes are held accountable.

Stay with iSkyNews.com for updates as this case continues to move through the juvenile court system.

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