Investigators Look for Leads in Catalytic Converter Thefts

are investigating a pair of local catalytic converter thefts that they said may be related—one was caught on camera and the other was seen by a witness.

The first incident occurred May 9 in the parking lot of Walt’s Food Center, 16039 Harlem Ave., . Between 12:10 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. the driver of a brown Ford Crown Victoria or Chevrolet Impala was seen by a witness parking near the victim’s vehicle. The witness said a man and woman committed the crime, according to the report.

She didn’t report it at the time, she said, because she thought the vehicle may belong to one of them. A similar car and duo were caught by surveillance cameras at a May 10 catalytic converter theft, police said.

Between 11 a.m. and 11:25 a.m. that day, the thieves stole a converter from a Dodge Dakota pickup truck belonging to a staff member at Trinity Lutheran Church, 6850 W. 159th St.

The recorded incident involved multiple suspects including someone who stood lookout during the theft. Cmdr. Steve Vaccaro said there's always a possiblity that such thefts are related.

Catalytic converters are easy to steal and in demand because they contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium, rhodium or gold, according to Edmunds.com. Vaccaro said thieves typically carry a saw and cut the converters from vehicles—usually SUVs—in a matter of seconds. 

While recyclers can make thousands of dollars extracting the metals, car owners are often left with an expensive bill to replace the converters.

The recent crimes remained under investigation May 15. 

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